one stands out as uniquely prescient: Eugen
vii
. The German Karl Marx was its leading thinker.The Writing On The Wall
Foreword
I
N the mid-nineteenth century. who will take out the garbage? Yet almost no one questioned the socialists’ idealism. The socialists denounced capitalist inequality and argued that the obvious solution was government ownership of the means of production. By 1961. Who could have foreseen such a mythic transformation? Out of all the critics of socialism. Germany was its epicenter.” A movement founded to liberate the worker turned its guns on the very people it vowed to save. a new political movement arose: socialism. After you equalize incomes. the descendents of the radical wing of the Social Democratic Party had built the Berlin Wall—and were shooting anyone who tried to flee their “Workers’ Paradise. and the Social Democratic Party of Germany its leading organization. many questioned the practicality of the socialists’ solution. however. From the outset.

so long as they are of working age. These people imagine themselves to be something better.” Review of Austrian Economics 4 (1990): 3–25. emigrated in shoals. 59) The emigration ban: [A] decree has been issued against all emigration without the permission of the authorities. but the right to emigrate cannot be conceded to robust people who are under obligations to the State for their education and culture. and influence. and Ralph Raico. The mass exodus: [U]seful people. boldly predicted that victorious German socialism would inspire a mass exodus—and that the socialists would respond by banning emigration. http://mises. The main cause of this would appear to be a certain exaltation of mind which is greatly to be regretted.viii
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
Richter (1838–1906). Seventy years before the Wall. engineers. went away in ever-increasing numbers to Switzerland. and infants. 57) The deadly force: Under these circumstances the Government is to be commended for stringently carrying out its measures to prevent
[1]
For excellent discussions of Richter’s life. Architects. “Eugen Richter and Late German Manchester Liberalism: A Reevaluation. Richter’s dystopian novel. and all kinds of skilled workmen. to England.org/daily/1787. and people who had really learnt something.” Mises Daily (2005). chemists. (p. to America. managers of works and mills. in which countries Socialism has not succeeded in getting itself established. and they cannot bear the thought of getting only the same guerdon as the simple honest day laborer. (p. teachers. doctors. he was the leading libertarian in the German Reichstag.… Old persons who are beyond work. Pictures of the Socialistic Future. “Authentic German Liberalism of the 19th Century. as well as the chief editor of the Freisinnige Zeitung. thought. are at liberty to go away. and punishing violators with deadly force.
. see Ralph Raico.[1] During the last decades of the nineteenth century.

59) Lord Acton and F. [3] F.” [3] On this theory.libertyfund.Foreword: The Writing on the Wall
ix
emigration. The Road to Serfdom (Chicago: University of Chicago Press. It is announced that the standing army will be increased by many battalions of infantry and squadrons of cavalry. suggested a slightly different explanation: under socialism. (p.A. If this meant treating workers like slaves—depriving them of the freedom to choose their occupation or location. 148–67. But many of their worst offenses happen early in the novel. the book’s socialist narrator.A. Letter 1. happily supports them.org/index. and imposing draconian punishments on malcontents—so be it. and absolute power corrupts absolutely. the idealistic founders of socialism were gradually pushed out by brutal cynics as their movement’s power increased.” their ideal was totalitarianism. massive military spending. forbidding them to quit. 1994). Hayek have inspired the two most popular explanations for the crimes of actually existing socialism. Their overriding goals were to engineer a new society and a New Socialist Man. splitting up families without their consent. Hayek. While Acton never lived to see socialists gain power. Richter’s novel advances a very different explanation for socialism’s “moral decay”: the movement was born bad. Schmidt. it has been deemed expedient to send strong bodies of troops to the frontiers. While the early socialists were indeed “idealists. php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1354&Itemid=262. and Mr. http://oll. their behavior seems to perfectly illustrate his aphorism that “Power tends to corrupt. pp.
. “the worst get on top.”[2] For all their idealism. In order to do so all the more effectually. corporal punishment—as slippery-slope responses to deteriorating conditions. The frontiers towards Switzerland have received especial attention from the authorities. Hayek.
[2]
Acton-Creighton Correspondence. with the benefit of hindsight. even socialists will do bad things if left unchecked. and to the seaport towns. Richter admittedly presents some of the socialists’ uglier policies— increased work hours. The frontier patrols have strict instructions to unceremoniously shoot down all fugitives. stringent rationing.

the government imposes internal passports to prevent farmers from moving to the greater comfort of the city. 24) In chapter 7. And just as in the old days young men who were ripe for military service were never allowed to emigrate without authority.x
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
In chapter 6. so can our Government similarly not permit the emigration from our shores of such persons as are of the right age to labor. workers lose the freedom to choose their line of work. 29) In chapter 15. 57) What inspired Richter to make these grim—yet uncannily accurate—predictions about the “socialistic future”? The most plausible
. (p. just as under the old regime the duty to become a soldier was a universally recognized one. Schmidt’s reaction: [W]hat has the Government to do in order to bring their scheme for organizing production and consumption into some sort of harmony with the entries made by the people? Should Government attempt a settlement by fi xing a lower rate of wages for those branches which showed any over-crowding. and a higher rate for those labors which were not so coveted? This would be a subversion of the fundamental principles of Socialism. (p. and no one can make a permanent removal without receiving such directions from higher quarters. long before conditions become desperate. socialist Germany bans emigration—and threatens fugitives with death. Schmidt’s reaction: Socialism is founded upon the principle that it is the duty of all persons alike to labor. According to these regulations no one can now temporarily leave his place of residence without first providing himself with a leave-of-absence ticket. (p. Schmidt’s reaction: It would unquestionably have been better if those regulations which have only just been issued had been issued at the very first.

See http://en. but from the standpoint of nineteenth-century socialism. The worst do indeed get on top in totalitarian regimes. Power does indeed lead politicians to betray their ideals. Richter drew the natural inference: “If this is how these ‘idealists’ deal with critical questions before they have power. just imagine how they’ll deal with critical actions after they have power!” As Richter’s proxy explains in the novel’s climactic speech. at least. who will take out the garbage?” to “What will you do if skilled workers flee the country?” When socialist politicians responded with hysteria and evasion. The party bottomed out at 9 seats in the Reichstag in 1878—and jumped up to 35 in 1890 when the Anti-Socialist Laws lapsed. and of commerce. which might some day open a path to liberty. even to those who had been condemned to life-long imprisonment.Foreword: The Writing on the Wall
xi
hypothesis is that Richter personally knew the leading socialists from the German Reichstag. the only escape thence is suicide. but never imposed an outright ban. their movement probably wouldn’t have attracted the many sadists and sociopaths who came to run it. In endeavoring to get rid of the disadvantages of the socialistic method of manufacture. the real “sellouts” were the moderate Social Democrats who gradually made peace with the capitalist system.[4] I submit that he repeatedly peppered the socialists with unpleasant hypotheticals. you place such restrictions on the freedom of the person. 121–22) Despite their intuitive appeal. the Actonian “power corrupts” and Hayekian “worst get on top” theories of socialist moral decay seem inferior to Richter’s “born bad” account. But those who are handed over to your socialistic prison are sentenced for life without hope of escape. But if the early socialists had not intellectually justified extreme brutality. (pp.wikipedia. that you turn Germany into one gigantic prison. and saw them for what they were. Only the Richterian theory can readily explain
[4]
Bismarck’s Anti-Socialist Laws (1878–1890) made life difficult for the Social Democratic Party of Germany. from “Under socialism.
.… To those in jail there was. the possibility of an act of pardon.org/wiki/Elections_ in_Germany-German_elections_1871_to_1945.

By then. Many failed to see the truth until the Berlin Wall went up. it was too late. alas.xii Pictures of the Socialistic Future
why the most devoted surviving child of German socialism grew up to be the prison state of East Germany: self-righteous brutality was the purists’ plan all along. Decades before the socialists gained power. The great tragedy of the twentieth century is that the world had to learn about totalitarian socialism from bitter experience. Bryan Caplan George Mason University
. Eugen Richter saw the writing on the wall. instead of Richter’s inspired novel.

that I have been able for a generation past to snatch from the practice of my craft as an
1
. however. too.Chapter
1
Celebration Day
T
HE red flag of international Socialism waves from the palace and from all the public buildings of Berlin. with its ascendency of capital. it did not come quite so soon. And for the benefit of my children. has crumbled to pieces. Well. This. but it has not taken much longer. and its system of plundering the working classes. and children’s children. I. in a humble way. If our immortal Bebel could but have lived to see this! He always used to tell the bourgeoisie that “the catastrophe was almost at their very doors. The old rotten regime.” Friedrich Engels had fi xed 1898 as the year of the ultimate triumph of socialistic ideas. All. The main thing is the fact that all our long years of toil and battling for the righteous cause of the people are now crowned with success. is immaterial. I intend to set down. some little account of the beginning of this new reign of brotherhood and universal philanthropy. have not been altogether without some small share in this new birth of mankind. both in time and money.

the corporation. Paula. The Socialist members of the town council form. shall have reached completion. inspired by this great day.2
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
honest bookbinder. the uncontrollable ecstasy of the people would break out afresh. They intend to marry as soon as the new regulations in respect of work. has become engaged to Agnes Müller. The statues of the old kings and marshals. and so on. and all that my family could spare. one of our new rulers chanced to show himself at one of the windows. My stars! what a crowd there was! And what endless rejoicing! Not one single discordant tone to mar the harmony of the great celebration day. she a milliner. behold. for my mental culture and my soundness on all socialistic points. Our beloved Bebel’s book on women has long been the highest gospel to my better half. So in all the elevation of mind. from time to time. My wife and children are in full accord with me. I am also indebted to the literature of Socialism. In the evening there was a grand illumination. chosen from amongst the foremost leaders of the Socialist party. Colleagues. both good hands at their trades. and to my connection with political clubs. decorated with red flags. nevertheless. In the palace gardens. showing itself in frantic waving of hats and handkerchiefs. The two have long known each other. arrangements of dwellings. The birthday of the new socialistic order happened to be our silver wedding-day. The police is disbanded. He is a compositor. and in singing the workmen’s Marseillaise. which showed unmistakable unanimity and steadfastness of aim. or on a balcony. and all around the palace. and now. have provisionally taken over the reins of Government. My son. They are both somewhat young yet. in the square in front. the people themselves maintaining order in the most exemplary manner. for the present. we have knit up this new bond of affection. today’s celebration day has added fresh happiness to us as a family. and the strong attachment is mutual. vast crowds were gathered. The new Government was assembled in the palace. So there is ground to hope it will turn out a good match. After dinner we all took a stroll unter den Linden. Whenever. looked strange
. Franz. but they are. I have devoted to the furtherance of our aims.

and they will shortly have to give place to statues of bygone heroes of Socialism. It has already been determined. well. The days of these statues are. this double celebration till a late hour. We are full of hope that we shall now soon vacate our humble dwelling. is to be replaced by that of our immortal Liebknecht.
. was with us on the occasion. in our cozy family circle. Well. My wife’s father. I hear. after all. Upon our return home we kept up. has witnessed many a quiet joy of ours. however. numbered. The statue of Frederic the Great. the old place. to remove the statues of the two Humboldts from the front of the university. and to place there in their stead those of Marx and Ferdinand Lassalle. who hitherto has not made much account of Socialism.Celebration Day 3
enough in the red glare of so much Bengal fire. and was very sympathetic and cheery. and plenty of honest endeavor as well. and exchange it for something better. unter den Linden. three storeys high. no lack of trouble and sorrow.

.

as the Revolution there was very soon quelled. have been impounded for the benefit of the new socialistic State.Chapter
2
The New Laws
O
NE hears the most exquisite stories of the scramble there is on the part of the bourgeoisie to get across the frontier. The American steamers are unable to meet the demand there is on them.
5
. bills. mortgages. thanks to the suddenness with which the Revolution came at last. and bank-notes have been declared void. shares. means of communication. These bourgeois gentry may as well at once begin papering the walls of their ship cabins with this trumpery. It is a good thing that. All landed and house property. Those who can once reach the American shores are all right. Let all such plunderers clear out. machinery. with the exception of England and Switzerland. tools. But where are they to go to? Socialism is now dominant in all European countries. stores. say I. they have not been able to take much with them. and such like. and all hope of success cut off for a long time to come. All State bonds.

Every precaution in the first place is to be taken against any possibility of capital ever
. of course. mines and quarries. as their master. or as it is now better called. and the like. ceased. This promulgation proclaims that all capital. New money certificates are shortly to be issued. means of communication. property. who.6
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
The Onward. and it is delivered at every house free of cost. All private enterprise and productivity have. The new Government. Another decree sets forth the universal obligation there is on all persons to work. In all other towns a local edition of the Onward is issued with a sheet of local matter for each separate place. proceeds with no less energy than directness of purpose. Each person has to render an inventory of all such things as may have remained to him after the embargo just spoken of. the new regulations as to supply. has been promulgated as an outline of the fundamental rights of the people. Those who are below 21 years of age will be educated at the expense of the State. in the shape of a Committee of Government. are to enjoy precisely the same rights. all persons are to retain their old posts. coins of all kinds are to be delivered up. bank-notes. have to decide on those numerous laws it will be necessary to enact in order to establish the new era. whilst those who are above 65 will be maintained in a similar manner. The old party program which was settled upon at the Erfurt Conference in 1891. the Community. and until such time as a new Parliament shall have been elected. whether male or female. and all possessions whatever. as a matter of course. which has hitherto been the leading organ of our party. now takes the place of the old Imperial Advertiser. things which some might be tempted to regard as private property. and to go on working for the State. old clothes. thanks to the smart Chancellor at its head. In particular. however. Provisionally. ceased to appear. the conduct of affairs is in the hands of the socialistic members of the late Parliament. All printing establishments having now become the property of the State. have henceforth become the sole property of the State. such as furniture. all the other papers have. and all such persons. machinery. from the age of 21 to 65 years. Pending.

and of the celebration of the same. no taxes will be collected. and they are required to render their services gratis whenever needed.
. Doctors and lawyers are supported by the State. It is quite evident that entirely new and glorious times are in store for us. The army is disbanded.The New Laws
7
regaining its old ascendency. as the Government proposes to raise that which is required for public purposes out of the revenue yielded by State trade transactions. The days of the Revolution. have been declared holidays established by law.

.

But now it seems that all her industry and economy are to prove quite futile. Agnes determined to go to the bank and give notice of withdrawal. is quite inconsolable. Her industry was such that she would scarce allow herself time for her meals. Arrived in the neighborhood of the bank. The young people began to devise schemes as to how they could lay out this large sum of money to the best advantage. our prospective daughter-in-law. in pleasures. and numerous girls who
9
A
. Rendered uneasy by all sorts of reports that reached her. Agnes is in fear for her dowry. and the sums which her companions spent in finery.Chapter
3
Discontented People
GNES. she found the street filled with excited groups. and more especially so since her acquaintance with Franz. or in short excursions. she devoted to the increase of her little capital. For a long time past she has been industriously saving up. and Franz is hardly less depressed. By these means she had no less a sum than two thousand marks in the savings bank at the time of her becoming engaged. Old men and women. It was with no little pride and complacency that Franz told me all this on the evening of the engagement day.

she heard it rumored that deputations of bank creditors were on their way to the palace to seek an interview with the Chancellor. We found an immense crowd gathered in front of the palace. There being now no police to summon. the Chancellor had not appeared on the scene and thus restored order? He stepped out upon the balcony of the middle portal. had stated that along with all other values which. Loud hurrahs greeted our Chancellor as he withdrew. the funds of the savings bank were also void. streams of people kept surging up towards the palace. it appears. to enter the bank. The mere rumor of such a thing nearly made poor Agnes faint. she there soon received confirmation of this incredible news. as they said. reporting a great fire there. It is clear this savings bank question is deeply stirring the public mind. Suddenly several gun-barrels from inside bristled through loopholes in the doors. All the entrances to the courts of the palace were securely fastened. and Franz went with me. declared that the savings bank question should receive the immediate consideration of the Committee of Government. By and by the crowd dispersed in a more good-humored and pliant mood. The crowd in front made various efforts to obtain forcible entrance. Just at this moment several fire brigades came tearing along at a gallop from different directions towards the palace. however. by the operation of the new decrees had been confiscated. On hearing this I started off at once. out of their hard-earned savings. complained piteously of being cheated. which loopholes I had somehow never noticed before.
. Summoning courage. but in vain. Hastening to us. It is only to be hoped that the Government will do the right thing in this business. and in a clear and sonorous voice. The officials. the authorities had in their consternation telegraphed from the palace. Across Lassalle Bridge (the old King William’s Bridge). He begged all true patriots and consistent Socialists to confide fully in the justice and wisdom of the representatives of the people. The arrival of the gallant fellows was greeted with much laughter.10
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
had been servants during the old order of things. Who can say what might have been the end of all this if. at this critical moment.

for both sexes. they are forthwith relieved from all household toil. etc. The attention of women and girls is especially called to the fact that on their entering upon work in one of the numerous State workshops. all persons of both sexes. Washing can be done solely at the great central washhouses of the State. are fi xed at eight hours for the present. etc.
11
. All children and young people are to be brought up in State maintenance houses and in public schools. both in trades and in State or public departments. between the ages of twenty-one and sixty-five years. are required within three days to register themselves with a view to being told off to some trade. washing. such as taking care of children. The hours of work. Sick people must all be sent to the hospitals.Chapter
4
The Choice Of Trades
B
IG red placards on all the hoardings remind people that in accordance with the regulations of the new Labor Law. The old police stations and various other public offices come in nicely for this purpose.. the preparation of meals. The chief meal of each day will be taken at the State cookshop of the district. nursing the sick.

After the publication of this intelligence. have to yield up. seeing that by a resolution come to at the Erfurt Conference of 1891. There were numerous groups of women and girls. wish to follow this profession. but such is. Such persons. and I myself have entered our names accordingly. but to remain faithful to those old trades we have got to like. By this means she proposes still to exercise her maternal care over our youngest child Annie. so my son Franz. and in each case the business hitherto followed has to be stated as well. Many seem to fancy that the mere choice of a trade is identical with being already installed in it. nevertheless. however. whom we shall now. So far as we as a family are concerned we mean to make no change. it is strictly prohibited to devote any national funds to religious or ecclesiastical purposes. Entries as clergymen cannot for a moment be entertained. by no means the case. who. of course. the life in the streets resembled that on a mustering day in a garrison town. and to station them in part at the arsenal. and which is now accepted as a fundamental law of the State. and having decorated themselves with some sign of the trade chosen. four years of age. now that they have once got rid of all housework. have full liberty to qualify themselves for it in their leisure hours.
. I may here mention that after the tumult in front of the palace. which is to be four thousand strong. One hears that a great many persons have chosen an entirely different line from the one hitherto followed. the Ministry deemed it prudent to reintroduce a body of police.12
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
Documentary evidence is in all cases required as a proof of the capabilities of persons to perform the duties they enter themselves for. My wife has registered herself as an attendant at one of the children’s homes. marched through the streets singing and shouting. Persons of the same trade formed themselves into knots and groups. who painted in the liveliest colors the delights they anticipate from the trades chosen. my future daughter-in-law Agnes. after having worked the normal number of eight hours in some branch which is recognized by the State as a trade. of course.

In place of a helmet the police are to wear large Rembrandt hats with red feathers.The Choice Of Trades
13
and in part at the neighboring barracks. and a brown one substituted for it.
. the blue uniform will now be discontinued. With a view to avoiding all unpleasant reminiscences.

.

then. soon began to clear the streets. there are no fewer than 500. who awaited with breathless interest the decision of the House.000 inhabitants of Berlin. that the whole neighborhood of the House. the head of the Statistical Department opened the debate in a speech dealing largely with
15
.Chapter
5
A Parliamentary Sitting
I
T was only with considerable trouble that Franz and I managed today to squeeze ourselves into the House situated in Bebel Square (the King’s Square of old days).000. and as all the seats of those members who were elected by the so-called better classes were declared vacant. No wonder. and the surrounding streets. A settlement was to be arrived at in respect of the savings bank funds. The police. we found. the entire expanse of Bebel Square. as a matter of course. At the request of the Chancellor. no other members present save our old colleagues the proved pioneers of the new order. however. Franz informs me that amongst the 2. As the general election has not yet taken place. were densely packed with persons mostly of the poorer clad sort.000 depositors in the savings banks.

) The yearly sum formerly paid in interest amounted to more than 150 millions of marks. Of the deposits.) With the transfer of all landed property to the State. and the balance of 100 millions were floating debt.” The President: “The nation is in possession of a power of veto. from the Left. from the Left. (Quite right. (Contradictory signs from the Right. which many other workmen often indulged in. 2.) “Nobody who had allowed himself to follow the doctrines of economy so much preached by the
. At the close of this speech a member of the Right got up. such as tobacco and spirits. they see themselves deprived of those savings they had by dint of arduous work been enabled to put by. will be felt by millions to be an injustice. as a matter of course. He said there were eight million depositors in the savings banks. By what means had those savings been effected? Only by means of continuous effort and exertion. All bonds had been repudiated by law. about 400 millions in public institutions and corporations. of economy. and loud cries of approval from the galleries. hear. (Hear.) The President threatened to have the galleries cleared if such cries were repeated.” (General approbation from all sides. and of abstention from certain things. “We are the nation.” (Applause from the Right. (Uproar from the Left. and at this there were cries. It was. clear that there were no funds out of which the claims of the savings bank depositors could be satisfied.700 millions in bonds.000 millions of marks.” said he (uproar from the Left). The placing of such persons on precisely the same footing with those who have not shown a morsel of thrift. in place of getting the full reward of labor as expected. hence. Disturbers will be ejected. but it possesses no right to take part in the debates in Parliament. or providing for his old age. 1. “will feel bitterly disappointed when. annulled.16
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
statistics.) Many a one had imagined that by putting by these savings he was laying up something for a rainy day. with an aggregate of more than 5.” said he. and showing the real magnitude of the question in hand. “Millions of honest workmen and true Socialists.) A member of the Left now followed: “A real Socialist of pure water never yet had bothered himself about saving anything. all mortgages were.800 million marks were invested in mortgages.

for instance.000 million marks to a fractional eight millions of the population would be a building up of the new social equality on a foundation of inequality. in business stock. above all things. and thus upset all our carefully conceived plans for harmonizing production and consumption.) How are we then to set bounds to a possible reaction against the social order of things now established? Whatever pleasures those persons who had put by their little savings had promised themselves as the fruits
. (Signs of approval. A good deal might be said on the side of the morality of these savings. “Up to a certain point justice compels me to say that both the honorable members who have just spoken are quite right in what they have advanced. never suffer a longing look at the past to divert our gaze from the great times in which we live. (Hear. Let it not be forgotten.) None but a bourgeois can say a word against the confiscation of the savings bank funds.) It should never be said that Socialism had hung up the big thieves.” The President here called the last speaker to order for the grave offense implied in designating a member of the socialistic Parliament by the term bourgeois. (Dissatisfaction from the Right. the various investments of this very savings bank capital had helped to foster the old system of robbing the people. And in view of this I say that to hand over 5. who had sunk their savings in machinery and tools. that some of these savings were in reality only stolen from the working-classes. but equally much may be advanced as to the demoralizing effects they have exercised in the form of accumulated capital. hear. (Loud applause from the Left. however. Amidst breathless suspense the Chancellor rose to speak.A Parliamentary Sitting
17
bourgeoisie had the least right to reckon on any consideration at the hands of the socialistic State. (Applause. too. in houses or land—and demand that their capital be refunded. but let millions of little ones escape. Let us. Why. These fund-holders today ask for a return of their savings: with precisely the same right others might come tomorrow—those.) We must settle this question as Socialists who know what they are about. and without any admixture of sentiment.) This inequality would inevitably soon make itself felt throughout all the various branches of consumption.

with only a few dissentients. the House. Agnes rejected all endeavors to tranquillize her. and these spread to the street outside. and the sitting was over. and that under these circumstances the debate could not be continued before the next day. and it was in vain that my wife sought to comfort her with the thought of the opulent dowry which the Government meant all newly married couples to receive. Within our four wails we had an abundant display of resentment and ill-feeling. reducing by this amount the capital which ought to work solely in the interests of the public at large. then my colleagues in the ministry. and myself. and their abstinence.” (Loud and long-continued applause.18 Pictures of the Socialistic Future
of their thrift. There were loud cries of indignation from the gallery. vote. they would now reap a hundred times greater reward in the consciousness of knowing that all alike will now share those great benefits which we are about inaugurating. however. already been reached.” she cried pettishly. The police. soon managed to clear the space about the House. such government is worse than robbery. But if you take from us these five milliards. The police are stated to have made merciless use of their new weapons. the maximum eight hours had. the so-called “killers. and that which the law allowed to each member for reading and preparation. “I won’t have anything given to me.”
.) A great number of members had signified their intention of speaking.”) A resolution to apply the closure was proposed and passed. passed to the order of the day. Upon the vote being taken. reckoning the time spent on committee meetings. will be no longer in a position to accept the responsibility of carrying out those socialistic measures which it was our aim to see accomplished. and they arrested various noisy persons. “all I want is the wages of my own labor. It is said that several members who had voted against the bank monies being refunded to the owners were shamefully insulted in the streets. amongst whom were a good many women. as a matter of fact.” a weapon on the English pattern which has just been introduced. (Cries of “Vote. But the President said it was his duty to remind the House that.

. It was only the other day he mentioned that he let interest and compound interest accumulate. and we dare not venture to tell the old gentleman that his bank book is mere waste paper. My father-in-law has likewise savings in the bank. In very deed one requires to be as firmly grounded as I am in socialistic principles to stand such reverses without in the least losing heart. we should find at his death that he had been really grateful for all our tender care of him.A Parliamentary Sitting
19
I much fear that today’s events are not at all calculated to strengthen Agnes’ hold on socialistic principles. He is far from being a miser.

.

but. is regarded with some suspicion. unfortunately. that politics have had something to do with the assignment of labor. None but absolutely reliable Socialists are allowed on the Onward. for instance. he can’t stay in Berlin. Franz
21
. Berlin requires now hardly onetwentieth part of the number of compositors it formerly employed. that in Berlin the Younkers have been completely scattered as a party. True. One had to go as a paperhanger to Inowrazlaw because there was a scarcity of paperhangers there. Franz is to remain a compositor. The police have today distributed the orders relating to the occupations of the people. which orders are based partly upon the registration lately made. and partly upon the plan organized by the Government for regulating production and consumption. too. but is sent to Leipsig. and he says. Franz will have it. Now Franz. whereas in Berlin there are too many.Chapter
6
Assignment Of Work
T
HE union between Franz and Agnes is suddenly put off indefinitely. through some unguarded expressions in Palace Square over that unfortunate savings bank business.

under the law against the Socialists.22
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
quite lost all patience. and for an indefinite period. Fortunately I encountered in the corridor another colleague who is on the same
. I tried to offer Franz a little comfort by remarking that in the very next house a married couple had been separated by the action of this law. we must excuse a little haste in an engaged young man who sees himself suddenly. be tied and again untied. the living together of married couples is clearly only practicable where the scale of occupation allows of such an arrangement. as Bebel lucidly explained in his book on woman. and said it seemed to him that the old law against the Socialists. and the maiden names of their mothers. My wife reminded me that in old times appointments which were not quite agreeable to their holders had often been annulled. held now an influential position on the Labor Organisation Board. The wife goes to Oppeln in the capacity of nurse. In the registries of names we find therefore. with its expatriation. and without the intervention of any official whatever. Th is set my wife going. It would never do to make the organization of labor in any way dependent upon a private relationship which might be dissolved at any moment. and I was unable to obtain entrance to the room. Well. and she wanted to know how anyone dared to separate husband and wife? It was infamous. not vice versa. or exchanges made. we might anyhow make an effort to get Franz exchanged back to Berlin. that all persons are entered in their Christian names. In a well-considered organization of production and consumption. had come to life again. the husband to Magdeburg as a bookkeeper. The Government is hence not at all in a position to know who is married. cut off from the girl of his heart. The good soul entirely forgot that in our new community marriage is a purely private relationship. as might be logically expected. and so on. But on going there I found this department at the town hall besieged by hundreds of people who had come on a similar errand. and who is not. The marriage knot can at any time. It occurred to me that an old friend and colleague whose acquaintance I had first made when in durance at Ploezensee.

or to try for a place as public checker. mothers can only receive appointments as nurses and attendants to such homes where their own children are not inmates. Agnes is no longer to be a milliner. They forget. By this means it is intended to prevent any preference being shown to one’s own children. My wife’s wishes have so far been acceded to that her services as attendant at one of the Children’s Homes are accepted. and any jealousies which other mothers might feel. or gew-gaws of any kind now. and what more or less approaches to art in trade.” interrupted Franz. This certainly sounds very fair. as I told them. and they are so inclined to put their private wishes before State reasons. before applying for his removal back to Berlin. But he told me there was really no help for this. taste. that even Providence itself could not serve all alike to their full content. But. “we could never have been so badly off under the old system. as a matter of course. Hence it follows. It appears that in consequence of the system of doing everything on a large scale the demand for small masters is much less than ever it was before. This is always the way with women. there would be a vote of credit brought in to appoint 500 controllers. but he advised me to let the grass grow a little over the part Franz had taken in the tumult in front of the palace. I further took advantage of this opportunity to complain that although my choice of the bookbinder’s craft had been confirmed. but only a journeyman. There will be no great demand for fine head gear. “Then they should have left each one to look after himself. as a matter of principle. and he advised me to apply for one of these posts.Assignment Of Work 23
Board. I mean to follow his advice. I told him what we had so much at heart. They say that. and she says she doesn’t care what they do with her so long as she can’t share her lot with Franz. He went on to say that in consequence of a big mistake having been discovered in an account. I was now no longer a master as formerly. unfortunately. that there will be but a very limited demand for skilled labor. but Paula cannot fail to feel the hardships of it. From all I hear the new scheme of supply aims solely at the production of all articles en masse.”
. But it is all the same to Agnes. but has got an appointment as a seamstress. she is not appointed to the one where our youngest born will be.

24
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
In order to pacify them somewhat. the smelter are more sparse. but this superabundance is balanced by the paucity of those who desire to become sick-nurses. and indirectly. and a higher rate for those labors which were not so coveted? Th is would be a subversion of the fundamental principles of Socialism. The receipt of unequal wages would soon tend to favor inequalities in the style of living. Under these circumstances. The entries for the more arduous labors of the pavior. Those who have manifested a desire to become cleansers of sewers are. I read to them out of the Onward a statement in tabular form dealing with the selections of trades people had made. not a strong body. more coachmen than ostlers. and with the labor assignments to them. A greater number of persons had registered themselves as gamekeepers than there are hares within forty miles’ circumference of Berlin. Every kind of labor which is useful to the community (Bebel always taught) must appear of equal value in the eyes of the community. By this latter means. or it would enable the better paid ones to effect savings. The objection to this was that some violence must then inevitably be done to the natural
. The number of young women who have put their names down as waitresses and public singers is very considerable. and thus the whole socialistic system of production be thrown into disorder. Government had under its consideration the suggestion to effect a settlement of the difficulty by fi xing working-days by varying lengths. the stoker. managers. foremen. what has the Government to do in order to bring their scheme for organizing production and consumption into some sort of harmony with the entries made by the people? Should Government attempt a settlement by fi xing a lower rate of wages for those branches which showed any over-crowding. there is even no scarcity of acrobats. every horse its groom. There is no lack of salesmen and saleswomen. and similar positions. From the number of entries made the Government would have no difficulty in posting a hall-porter at every single door in Berlin: every tree could have its forester. There are a great many more nurse-girls than kitchen-maids registered. The same remark applies to inspectors. in the course of time a capitalist class would grow up. numerically.

Perhaps in the course of time we may see the same workmen. and dangerous labors will be the very ones which will draw the greatest numbers of volunteers. Those who drew blanks in the first lottery cast lots again and again until they got a trade.” But I could not get the young people to see things in this light. and in this way the vacancies were filled up in these branches of labor for which there had been a scarcity of applicants. Government reserves to itself the right to direct criminals to do the more disagreeable kinds of work. and of the dominion of capital. fallen to the lot of a good many people. and you will find that the most arduous. I understand that a kind of labor they do not at all relish has. These volunteers will be sustained by the lofty consciousness that their labors are for the good of the public at large. and they will no longer have the reflection that they minister to the vile lust of gain of unprincipled plunderers.Assignment Of Work 25
and necessary dependence of various occupations upon each other. The entries for each trade were set apart by themselves. and enjoy universal sway. viz. disagreeable. during different hours of the same day. which played such a prominent part under the old reign of capital. He says that even at the very beginning the Government are so at their wits’ end that they have to resort to a toss-up.
. Once let the spirit of Socialism be fully awakened. that of allowing more variety of work to the same individual.. “that for the future all things are to be arranged on an entirely new and different basis? For the present we are still feeling the after effects of the old system of exploiting. and the reason is quite obvious. but this is the first time that man-raffles have taken place.” I said to him. It has furthermore adopted the counsel which Bebel used to give. That matter of supply and demand. in this way. For the present no other plan seemed feasible than that of a lottery. engaged in the most diverse and manifold occupations. and from these entries the appointments required for each branch of trade by the Government organization scheme were settled by a simple drawing of lots. Franz says there always have been horse-raffles and dog-raffles and all kinds of raffles. “But can’t you see. is not to be suffered under any circumstances to come up again.

.

The spacious buildings of the War Ministry were to have been converted into a vast infant’s school for the sake of the fine gardens adjoining.Chapter
7
News From The Provinces
LL young men of the age of twenty are required to enroll themselves within three days. the scene of my wife’s labors. The New Provincial Councillors are constantly sending urgent requests for military assistance to aid them in the work of establishing the new laws in country districts and in small towns. The internal affairs of the country render it necessary that the National Bulwark should be called out earlier than had been intended. too. and also that the organization be on a far larger scale than had been at first contemplated. The “National Bulwark. now determined to leave things as they were. Agnes’ brother is among this number. it has been decided to establish at convenient centers all over the country. (This school was to have been. however. and
A
27
. Hence. a battalion of infantry. is to be organized and armed with all speed.) It is.” as it is called. a squadron of cavalry.

But they nevertheless clamor for food and drink. but then the mischief is. and unter den Linden. They had been told. and what not of the best and dearest. clothing. Your small owner in the country will insist on remaining where he is. It would be a pretty state of things if the magnificent scheme of the Government for regulating production and consumption were to be made sixes and sevens of in this fashion by a capricious wandering to and fro of people from the provinces.28
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
a battery. They actually go the length of objecting to the nationalization—or as the official term runs. in Frederick St. in spite of all you can tell him of the hard lot he has from sunrise to sunset. houses. and they are to be bundled off back to where they came from. But these people are now no longer content to remain where they were. Upon its becoming known that all the big landed estates and large farms had been declared State property. it would greatly interfere with the vast scheme for the organization of production. chiefly for Berlin. So there is no other way than to compel these thickheaded people by sheer force to see what is to their advantage. These country boors and louts must be brought to reason. A great desire for a change has come over them. we can’t do with these backwoodsmen here.. and with the scantiest means. their possessions in the shape of acres. Here. In order to ensure better security the troops are composed of men chosen from districts lying far asunder. and they all make for the larger towns. which will cause some little bitterness. and sticking fast to what he has got. of course. may now be seen daily the most outlandishlooking individuals from the remotest parts of the country. I wish such were only really the case! But. boots. cattle. farm stock and the like. We
. the communalization—of their private means. that everybody in Berlin lived on the fat of the land. all farm servants and agricultural laborers at once attached themselves zealously to our side. Many of them arrive with wives and families. they say. And when the whole organization is once in full swing such persons will soon be convinced of the benefits that have been conferred upon them by Socialism. People of this sort could be left quietly where they are.

to the neglect of necessary labors in their own parts. is in earnest as respects the obligation on all persons alike to work. not even any railway vagabondism. in a manner which shall accord with the carefully prepared calculations and plans of the Government. as we now say. is fully determined not to permit any vagabondism of any kind. is so peculiarly his own. as the Onward truly remarks. It is evident that the results of the establishment of various Local Produce Associations would be to introduce competition between the several associations. According to these regulations no one can now temporarily leave his place of residence without first providing himself with a leave-of-absence ticket. The socialistic State or. when the fit took them not to come. we should behold all the stuff that had been got in in anticipation of their visit. and no one can make a permanent removal without receiving such directions from higher quarters. the Community.” said the Chancellor. but only. “that errors such as these—errors which reach back to the time of Lassalle. in his speech. whilst at other times. and it. intended that Berlin shall still remain a much-visited capital. aimless way. Yesterday the Chancellor made another telling speech in that convincing manner which. It is. again. as the Onward simply and clearly sets forth. and which were fully disposed of at the Erfurt Conference of 1891—should be set at rest for ever. therefore. each inhabitant of a district being a unit of the local group. the varying nature of the quality of the land must inevitably tend to produce gradations of prosperity and non-prosperity. instead of impounding such possessions for the benefit of the whole Community? These detached groups were to be called Local Produce Associations. Then. of course. It would unquestionably have been better if those regulations which have only just been issued had been issued at the very first. The question had been raised in the House whether an attempt should not be made to tranquillise the disaffected country districts by aggregating local possessions into local groups. spoiling on our hands. and in this way to open
.News From The Provinces
29
should have them at one time swarming down like flights of locusts upon the stores accumulated here. “It is high time. but people are not to come and go in a capricious.

)
. A well-digested scheme for the regulation of production and consumption.” (Loud applause. any personal or local independence. are things which cannot admit of any individualism.30
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
a kind of back-door to the return of capital. any competition. and an intelligent distribution of the craftsmen in each several department over the whole State. Socialism can never consent to do things by halves.

I shall not be able to have my pipe whenever and wherever the humor takes me.” said he.Chapter
8
The Last Day Together
I
HAVE had rather a bad time of it today with my two women folk. On the present occasion. my wife and Agnes. “is a calamity for all of us. a day whose return I have for the last twenty-five years greeted with joy. My wife’s heart was full to overflowing. I have foreseen this all along. alas! there was nothing but heaviness in our hearts. especially at the sight of grandfather. “Socialism. Grandfather is to remove into the Refuge for People of Advanced Years.” I tried to comfort him by describing to him the easy. Tomorrow Franz is to set out for Leipsig. agreeable life he would lead at the Refuge. “What is all that to me?” he cried. “When there I shall have to live and sleep and eat with strangers. and on the same day we must yield up our other two children. full of impatience. It will readily be understood that there was more thought of all these matters than of the birthday. I shall
31
. I shall no longer have my daughter about me to look after me. It was mother’s birthday.

and you are constantly getting disturbed by other people. I shall never hear how things are going on in your workshop. sadly. We had meant to apprentice him to some trade now. juicy loin of veal. The child was the only cheerful member of the company. which Franz playfully calls our historical joint. My second son. or to listen to the tales Ernst brings home from school. You are never alone and really at your ease. clever dogs. in her confiding way. and would push his way onwards at a trade. picture-books. to solace him.” We tried to reassure him by promising to visit him very often. He has a skilful hand. and similar delights which were to be had at the Children’s Homes. however.” said he. have to be kept at school a few years longer before they can receive a technical training. to do the best she could. It looks to me as though he were devising some plans or other which he is determined not to betray. as the joint appeared on the table. and he had looked forward to this with much pleasure. Towards his mother. Upon everyone of her birthdays mother treats us to a prime. “I shall not be able to set roast veal before you. pretty dolls. fi rm resolution. But now it must be otherwise. as I hope you will soon. Old trees should be left where they are. “Such visits.”
.” We got little Annie. grandfather’s pet. as lads of his age. “When you come to see me. Somebody had told her a lot of tales of all the cakes. he has been especially tender. “are only a doing of things by halves. and never be transplanted. does not much betray what his thoughts and feelings are. And whenever I become ill I shall be left quite to myself. But I don’t like to see this in him. And I am sure the end won’t be long in coming to me.32
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
be no longer able to have games with Annie. one and all. and quiet. So she was never tired of talking of these things. for I shall then no longer have a kitchen of my own.” said my wife. and this as a general thing is not at all his way. Ernst. Whatever such plans may be I trust they are not at variance with our socialistic principles. but he has not made all the progress in school matters that one could have wished. Franz manifests resignation.

” “True enough. especially when Franz remains neutral.” After a short silence. Miss W.” I replied. Our platform is the
.” “Ah. One gets his meals here. “those lectures on the emancipation of women. but only for the kind regards which accompany it. “who has never had more than her one furnished room. “The principle of equal rights.” she answered. irrespective of sex. I see.” “Oh. keeps nodding approval to Agnes. “but it would never do to give up our ideals on such grounds.” I asked. but I do care about the social life of the family. constitutes the basis of the socialistic Community. I don’t care a straw about the joint.” “Well.. “I would a great deal rather work ten or twelve hours a day at home for you all.” she said. So far from there being any lack of roast joints in the future we shall have them even more frequently than hitherto.” “She may none the less on that account be in the right.” I answered. Never mind. who are nothing to me. who always seconds my wife when she gets on to such subjects. equal obligations. why must things be so?” And Agnes. is an old maid. and many another delicacy in addition. querulously: “What I want to know is. another there. repeated the question even more querulously. old lady. or. “Have you then so entirely forgotten those delightful lectures by Miss W.” I said jocularly. The distress caused to the individual heart by all this tearing asunder is poorly compensated for by knowing that the public at large live better. “but we shall not enjoy these things together. and on the equality of women’s rights in all respects with the rights of men? You found those lectures at the time as inspiring as Bebel’s book.The Last Day Together 33
“I have the greatest respect imaginable for your roast joints. rest assured we shall not have any the less regard for one another in the future. and we shall have more leisure to show it than we have had so far. I am sure of one thing. “It is not for the sake of the pennyworth of cake. Whenever these two talk a duet there is very little chance left for me. she asked. what is worse still. than eight hours for other people’s children.” they replied.

34
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
total independence of the wife from her husband. “but it can never bring happiness. And why not? Because humanity is something more than a flock of sheep. and said she never had the least wish to be emancipated from him. and hung upon him. But.” “I daresay all that is very nicely and mathematically worked out. by their varying number in different families. We must have no children and no elderly persons about the homes. and this end is to be obtained by securing to women an equal and independent income for services done away from their own homes: no more household serfs. Hence we endeavor to reduce all household work to a minimum by transferring this as far as possible to great central establishments conducted by the State. These are the doctrines which Bebel taught us. so that these. with all its partings.” “Grandfather is quite right. I wish tomorrow. after all.” said grandfather.” cried Agnes.
. Under these circumstances there was at once an end to all reasonable argument. may again give rise to all the gradations of wealth and poverty. and no more slavish services on the part of wives or servants. And then she clasped Franz round the neck. were well over.

” answered the man. “We are by no means instructed to take all the things away.Chapter
9
The Great Migration
I
N place of the cab which we had expected to fetch away grandfather and the children. and it was long before she could somewhat recover herself. “I thought that household goods were to remain private property. All that the Community lays claim to is what is comprised in this list. in the agitation of the last few days. quite overlooked. and also showed us a copy of the Onward. with a by-law of the Government. My wife remained like one petrified.” And he handed us the inventory we had had to give in previously. which we had somehow. his instructions at present were merely to fetch the furniture. An official who accompanied it said that we had no occasion to move out before the evening. a furniture-van pulled up before the house in the early morning. my good woman.” “Certainly. “Fetch the furniture?” said my wife in amazement. The official was meantime very
35
.

It now came out that my good wife had suffered her imagination to lead her into supposing that at the new distribution of residences we should. you will still have six chairs left. to know what we should do when they all came to visit us. “My good lady. at least. but I mean when they stay overnight?” my wife asked. All traffic for other vehicles than these has been stopped for the present.. But even then we have not a sufficiency. Only just imagine. we have here alone over 900. the providing the people with meals. the nursing of the sick. Regent St. smirkingly. Victoria St. “Yes. there are to be ten times as many beds as heretofore in all the hospitals. In addition to all this. and did all he could to reconcile her to the necessity of the step. Then you have another 100. receive a neat little villa somewhere at the West End. and the little girl are no longer inmates of the house?” My wife wanted.” he replied. as you will find very little room at the new place!” he answered. And tell me further what would be the good of all these beds.. “In Zoological Gardens St..000 persons below the age of twenty-one who have to be housed in Children’s Homes and in schools. and not steal. at the very least.” was the reply. and as much other furniture as he can stow away in two or three good-sized rooms. and be then able to furnish one or two spare rooms
.000 persons over sixty-five who have to be provided for at the Refuges.” he said. the young gentleman here. Now tell me where are we to get all these things from. No one is to retain more than a couple of beds. and that district there is quite a procession of furniture-vans. “where in the world are we otherwise to get such a quantity of furniture together as will be required for the many State establishments for the education of children. the care of old people. “to people who have great big mansions stuffed as full as they can hold with the most beautiful furniture?” “We do that as well.36
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
patient and civil. “There will be some difficulty about that. and so on? “Then why not go to rich people. “Well. and cabinets to you when granny yonder. and tables.” my wife asked.

It had been relegated to the lumber attic.” This only served to cause renewed lamentations. one way and another. It took us no end of labor and economy to get our few things together. though. It was as good as new. all this display
. I must say. a part of our very life’s history clings to every piece of furniture about the place. and the old gentleman always found it so comfortable and easy. time after time. and to be scattered for ever! But our regrets were unavailing.The Great Migration 37
for our friends. and we had to let them load the van with our furniture. in any case. that Paula never had any grounds for letting her imagination take these lofty nights. and the best use consistent with fitness and harmony made of them. had been amongst the very first things we had bought when we got married. and getting a good thrashing for it too. The fact is. The easy-chair had been our last birthday present to grandfather.” he said. The looking-glass was an heirloom from my father. He always used to shave himself before it. But we were not permitted to accompany them. Thus. and brought down again. one after another. inasmuch as Bebel always taught that domestic affairs should be on as small and frugal a scale as possible. and this we obtained by weekly payments. as occasion required. which we subsequently gave up to grandfather. The large wardrobe. The furniture in these places would be some-what of a motley character if each inmate were to bring his own lumber with him. I remember knocking off that bottom corner as a boy. And I cannot say that the man was altogether in the wrong. Paula tried to find comfort in the thought that grandfather and the children would at least sleep in their own old beds at their new places. “That is not quite what is intended. Little Annie’s cot had been slept in by all the children. And now all these things are to become mere broker’s gear. Towards evening another official came to fetch away grandfather and the children. to send the cozy easy-chair to the Refuge for her father’s use. the official saying with some asperity. that there must be an end somewhere to all these partings. “The collected articles will be sorted out. But the official shook his head at this. She had fully meant.

and whether they have put her long night-gown on. whether her clothes have been delivered all right. be able to sleep a wink to-night. and Paula and I were left alone. so that she won’t take cold. I had laid her night-dress quite on the top of the other things. We have never known quiet like this since the first year of our marriage. neither of us. too. with a little note for the attendant. The child has such a way of kicking the coverlet off in her sleep. I tried to point this out to my wife when the others had all gone. and millions stand locked in a fond embrace. we must strive to let our gaze wander far beyond the petty narrow limits of past and vanquished times.
. But oh. Now that the reign of universal brotherhood is about beginning. indeed. “And whether they will be able to sleep. was nearly asleep when the man came to fetch her. “I wonder whether the children and grandfather will have good beds to-night!” my wife said presently. dear! it is dreadfully quiet and desolate in the half-empty rooms.” I fear we shall.38
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
of feeling is not quite in character with the victories of reason of modern times. It is only by degrees that one can get used to these things. I wonder. Poor little Annie.

all those who are not inmates of State establishments. Unlike gold and silver. All persons between the ages of twenty-one and sixty-five years. the Onward very truly remarks that the Minister of Exchange has displayed much sagacity and prudence in solving the problem of procuring a means of exchange which shall fulfill all the legitimate duties of such a medium.Chapter
10
The New Currency
T
RADE is very brisk with the photographers. and so-called money certificates issued instead. the new currency possesses no intrinsic value. Every laborer in the service of the State receives once a fortnight a series of money certificates in the form of a coupon booklet. that is to say. but it consists simply of orders or checks drawn on the State as the sole possessor of all articles of sale. The name
39
. have received instructions to have their likenesses taken. The old system of bank-notes and coins is to be abolished. and at the same time not allow of the resuscitation of a capitalist class. This step is an essential part of the Government plan for the introduction of the new currency. In a leading article on this innovation.

and. The new distribution of dwellings is to take place immediately before the opening of the State cookshops. To obviate the misappropriation and misuse of money certificates. it is expressly understood that coupons are not. and so on. and with a view to preventing the use of the coupons by other persons. the equivalent for a dinner will be detached by the Government official in the shape of a dinner coupon. in the shape of a bread coupon. per head). would in due time have the effect of producing a capitalist class. it is the business of the hall porter.40
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
of each holder is printed on the cover. if disregarded. But. very considerable latitude being left to the taste of each holder as to how he likes to employ his coupons. and the use made of these faculties. to detach daily a dwelling’s coupon from the booklet of each person resident in the house. Thus. but that they only then have their representative value when detached by the State vendors or other similar officials appointed for this purpose. under any circumstances. All payments are to be made on the spot in coupons. All purchases are to be made at the State magazines and shops. all accumulations of value in the hands of such persons as are of a thrifty turn. The several coupons in the booklets represent. through inequalities in the scale of consumption.
. it is enacted that the photograph of every individual holder be attached to his book of coupons. in addition to this. will prevent the return of social inequalities consequent upon the gradations of faculty possessed by different people. It is evident that the Government orders regulating the hours of labor for all persons alike. This was a self-evident danger. stationed in each house. care must be taken to prevent. by degrees. When these are opened. for instance. and prescribing for all persons the same scale of remuneration. bring into subjection those less thrifty persons who were in the habit of consuming all their income. of course. which would. an arrangement by which the further necessity for private kitchens will be obviated. that for the allowance of bread (one pound and a half daily. different values. and care is to be taken that the vendors in every case detach none but coupons of exactly the right value. or whose requirements are small. to be detached by the holders.

and refuted in a manner that ought to make the enemies and calumniators of Socialism blush with shame. Every purchaser has the fullest liberty either to apply to his own use such wares as he has obtained in exchange for coupons. that it aims at the distinction of all private property. and every holder is entered in the Government registry. Any more considerable savings than sixty marks are forfeited to the State. fully refuted. or how they spend it. at any moment. of course. and to concert measures to prevent these successive remnants heaping themselves up to actual capital. at the expiration of the fortnight. A sum of sixty marks is regarded as being more than sufficient to enable its possessor to indulge himself in the gratification of all reasonable desires. and of a system of plundering. The Government is thus. or to resign them to the use of other persons. The calumny that has often been hurled at Socialism. Nay. Socialism never wished for more than to see such bounds set to individual caprice as should prevent the formation of private capital. and knowledge of this kind must materially lessen the difficulty of regulating production and consumption. is thus. it is an easy matter at any time to learn from the collected coupons the way in which each person has expended his income. even here it is necessary to draw the line somewhere. as the Onward pointedly shows.
. in a position to observe whether persons spend their income on dress. get the remnant entered to their credit in the new booklet. have not used up all their coupons. or on eating and drinking.The New Currency
41
As each coupon bears the same number as the outside cover. he may even bequeath things to others. But. Those persons who.

.

and the kitchen. only it happens to be at the back of the house. for our family of six persons. but
43
. a dwelling has fallen to our lot on the very same premises.. two smaller ones. and we are now in possession of our new home. We used to live S.Chapter
11
The New Dwellings
T
HE universal dwelling-house lottery has taken place. inasmuch as the State cookshops are on the eve of being opened. She had given up all thought of a small villa. My wife’s disappointment is considerable. on the third storey. But I had none the less ventured to hope that at least two or three neat and pretty rooms would fall to our share. in fact. but I cannot exactly say that we have bettered our position.W. It is likewise on the third storey. but she still clung to the hope of getting a neat suite of rooms on an elegant flat. True. and the kitchen is now no longer a necessary part of a dwelling. the two smaller chambers in which grandfather and the children used to sleep can now be dispensed with. and quite in the back-yard. I have always been rather choice in the matter of having a nice home. Oddly enough. at the front of the house. Hitherto we have had two good-sized rooms.

shops and magazines are crowded together. It will thus be seen that the setting apart of so much separate space for separate purposes has had the effect of materially curtailing the accommodation for private dwellings. As there are one million persons to provide for. to which. Back-yard premises in suitable situations are being adapted as central wash-houses for this million. too. that in round numbers one million rooms were at the disposal of the authorities. young and old. attics. Not that I would by any means convey that there has been the least unfairness.44
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
instead of this. and in order to observe the utmost
. Furthermore. and the space hitherto employed for such purposes only suffices to cover a small fraction of the present requirements. immensely increased. The rooms are. in schools and various houses of maintenance. must be added several hundred thousand kitchens (now become superfluous). some 600. however. In the inner city.000 more or less smallish rooms remain. But the demand for space for various public and benevolent purposes has. Of these. This is the whole extent of the accommodation. that our city has only one million rooms for its two millions of inhabitants. room had to be found. it is at once seen that the space allotted is about one room per head. and garrets. more particularly at the West End. somewhat darker and lower than our old ones. and none but rogues can give more than they are possessed of. In the first place. accommodation has been provided in hospitals for 80. and many of the basements of these are fitted up as State cookshops for the million inhabitants who are not consigned to public institutions. But it is clear that such public interests must take precedence of private ones. Our municipal body is quite straightforward. at a meeting of the Council. It was set forth only yesterday. Hence it is only natural and right that the best and largest houses. in the socialistic Community. after deducting the requirements of the various public institutions. we have got only a small room with one window. and a little poky garret similar to those in which servants used to sleep.000 people. have been appropriated to these purposes. for a million people. At the commencement of the new regime it was found. as already stated.

All you have to do is to make a division of the furniture. but the main thing. irrespective of gender. this system of raffling is an excellent means of regulating the principle of equality wherever the essential features are disproportionate. Marriage is a private affair. Not that all married couples have. Those persons who desired to remain together. There may be even some who do not take any particular pains to secure this end. is that we do not get separated. officially. And. they were assigned by lottery. I had to give up my nice room in a neighboring house to a young man to whom the cupboard had fallen. for instance (which ought to be attainable at any moment). receiving a lottery ticket. by any means. therefore. and. after all. even under the old regime. for instance. a mere cupboard of a place. or storeys. Upon the completion of this casting lots for residences. there can be no lotteries of larger dwellings for married people.
. but who had got their quarters in different streets. might have to be put off until single rooms for the individuals concerned were procurable. The social democrats in Berlin. were allowed to exchange as best they could.The New Dwellings 45
impartiality in the disposal of these rooms. and how humiliated must those feel who used to maintain that Socialism meant the subjugation of the individual will. As it now is. Were such the case. For my part. and. Thus we see that everything in the new Community has been settled in a logical and sagacious manner. in order to get this cupboard. had introduced this system of raffling for seats at the theaters. houses. then. adjoining the room which had fallen to my wife’s lot. at a moment’s notice. yet been successful in obtaining a satisfactory exchange of rooms. and of smaller ones for those who are single. and the thing is settled. the termination of a marriage contract. indeed. on the termination of the contract. each compound dwelling formed by the two halves to a marriage contract can. such as married couples. All the arrangements guarantee full personal liberty to every man and every woman. each person from the age of twenty-one to sixty-five years. I had to put up with a tiny room. exchanges of the rooms that had fallen to the various ticket-holders were permissible. be resolved into its original halves.

in the new society. The problem is to supersede the old-fashioned system of limited and meager private existences. shall now be within the reach of everybody. It has fared no better with numerous persons. this old servant’s closet of mine is so wretchedly small that it is precious little that I can get into it. for the simple reason that their owners could find no room for them in their new dwellings. But the fact is.
. the life of the general public on such a vast and grand scale that all those bodily and mental good things. As a matter of course. to leave a number of our things behind us. whether happiness or sorrow comes we shall stick together to the end of life’s journey. unfortunately. and to organize. These things were collected and carted away in order to augment as far as possible the still sparse outfit of the numerous public institutions. which were once only enjoyed by a favored class. At the general removal vast numbers of things were left standing in the streets. However. The new quarters were too small to stow away even the remnant that had been left to us after the day of the furniture-vans. so that we can scarcely move about. The opening of the State cookshops tomorrow is to be followed by the opening of the new popular theaters. On our removal here we had. we have stuffed our little place as full as it will hold. we do not allow this to distress us in the least.46
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
Not that considerations of the above kind are personally of any moment to my better half and me.

indeed.Chapter
12
The New State Cookshops
I
T was. As a matter of course. must feel some little disappointment. The picking and choosing amongst the various State cookshops cannot. True. where a pampered upper class continually revelled in every refinement of culinary art—such persons. should have been opened at one stroke. even to the smallest details. those persons who had imagined that it would be like the table d’hôte of the great hotels of the past days. a wonderful achievement that today. each one capable of accommodating 1.
47
. be tolerated. swallow-tailed waiters. has been anticipated and settled beforehand. we have here likewise no trim. In the State cookshops everything. No one person obtains the smallest preference over others. in Berlin. The chief meal of the day is taken between 12 o’clock and 6 in the evening. Each person has the right to dine at the cookshop of the district in which his dwelling is situated. and no such paraphernalia. one thousand State cookshops. I say. no bills of fare a yard long. of course.000 persons. Everyone has to report himself at the cookshop of his district. either during the mid-day rest or at the close of the day.

the crowd was a very big one. It is an inspiring thought to reflect that in every State cookshop in Berlin on one and the same day exactly the same dishes are served.
. this saving may well be reckoned amongst the most signal triumphs of the socialistic organization. and his neighbor was a sweep. inasmuch as our hours of labor are now entirely different. The strictest order is maintained by a strong body of police present. which circumstance used so much to enhance the price of dining at the restaurants of the upper classes. the minutes allowed for eating being very stingily measured. As each establishment knows how many visitors it has to count upon. It seems to me that Berlin proves itself to be on too small a scale for the vast undertakings of Socialism. Upon entering the dining-room an official detaches the dinner coupon from your book of money certificates. as I have been accustomed to do for the last twenty-five years. However. it is not for long. The sweep laughed at this more heartily than the miller.000—rather gave themselves airs of importance in the State cookshops. and the elbows at each side hinder one much. As each one takes his place just as he comes from his work the groups sometimes have a somewhat motley appearance. whilst there is also none of that waste and loss consequent upon a lot of stuff being left. The room at the tables is very cramped. At the expiration of the meagerly apportioned minutes— and a policeman with a watch in his hand stands at the head of each table to see that time is strictly kept—you are remorselessly required to make room for the next. and you fetch your plate of victuals from the serving tables. and as these visitors are saved all the embarrassment of having to choose from a lengthy bill of fare. The police today—their number has now been augmented here to 12.48
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
I am sorry to say that I can now no longer take my meals with my wife except on Sundays. but the fact is. and hands you a number which indicates your turn. and your turn comes. In the course of time others get up and go away. Opposite to me today sat a miller. Indeed. it is clear that no time is lost.

it appears that the Ministry of Public Nourishment has grounded its bill of fare on the experience gathered by scientific research as to the number of grains of nitrogenous matter and of hydro-carbonaceous matter that it is necessary to introduce into the body in order to keep the same intact. All the portions served out are of the same size. were prevented from coming in good time would not have the chance of dining off such dishes as were “off. groats. inasmuch as those persons who. in the whole world. from any reason. and to do as best they can. On Thursdays we get sauerkraut and peas. Furthermore. as is now the case with us? Even a king of France. however. who is a cook. tells us. it had originally been intended to serve up various dishes on the same day. and eat it with their meals.The New State Cookshops 49
From what a neighbor of ours. then. this drawing in of their belt is quite a good and wholesome thing. for what more deadly blow could be leveled at one of the fundamental principles of equality? For the same reason the suggestion to serve out smaller portions to women was at once indignantly rejected. with either rice. day by day. Big. According to what our neighbor the cook says. or some vegetable or other. For the rest people can bring with them from their homes as much bread as they like. that there would be a manifest want of equality in such an arrangement. used to stuff themselves. bulky men have to put up with the same sized portions. to which is generally added a plentiful supply of potatoes. But. and these posters give you the bill of fare for the whole week. Posters announce what is to be cooked on each day. could form to himself
. I should like to know. in their former easy circumstances. any persons who find their portions larger than they care for are not prohibited from giving a part to their neighbors. has there ever been a people every individual of which was assured. Each person’s daily portion is about one-third of a pound of meat.” but would have to take whatever was left. just as they used to announce the plays at the theaters for the entire week. of his portion of flesh-meat. ruminating once on such matters. One insatiable fellow today who asked for more was rightly served by being heartily laughed at. It soon appeared. for such amongst them who. Where.

During all the twenty-five years of our married life we have never had so many painful scenes and explanations as since the beginning of the new era. And yet how often she had complained to me that. we must remember that outside the system of nourishment provided by the State it is left to the taste of everybody to treat himself to whatever he fancies both in the morning and evening—that is to say. she says. with the high prices of things. the portions of meat would be none the worse for being a little larger. this is the way with women. that she at once loses all appetite by knowing beforehand what she has to eat during a whole week. too. his portion of beef! The thought of having attained such ends as these is so inspiring that one can readily pardon any trifling inconveniences which the new system has brought with it. and so on. and that is the concern which my good wife shows. to think she was released for that day from the bother of cooking anything. My hope
. too. as the day comes round. but then our circumspect Government adopted the wise plan of not dealing out. True. when we now and then took a day’s excursion. of the broth being watery. too. and her state gets worse day by day. at the commencement. No more poor. She complains of the meat being done too much. is barracks’ rations. She says. Then. wretched. homeless creatures! For every man. when the new arrangements shall have more and more approached completion. we shall have everything on a vaster and more magnificent scale.50
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
no higher ideal than that on Sundays every peasant should have his fowl in the stew-pan. more meat than had previously on an average been consumed here. and the period of transition is past. starving. She is become very nervous. and a poor substitute for the wholesome fare people used to have at their own homes. and in process of time. Well. Later on these things will all be different. Formerly she was rejoiced. and they always have something to say against whatever they have not had a hand in cooking. she was at her wits’ end to know what to cook. are not a bit to her taste. The food. provided it be within the bounds of the money certificate. The State cookshops. But there is one thing which hinders my opinions taking the lofty flight they otherwise would.

however.
. as soon as my wife shall have paid visits to the children and her father at the Benevolent Institutions.The New State Cookshops 51
is. and have found them hearty and contented. that that equanimity will be restored to her which in old times never deserted her even in our severest trials.

Chapter

13

A Vexing Incident

O

UR Chancellor is not made so much of as he used to be. I am sorry to see this, because it is impossible to find anywhere a more capable, energetic, and active State leader, or a more thorough and consistent Socialist. But, then, it is not everybody who is as unbiased as I am. There are a great many people who don’t quite care for the new order of things, or who are somewhat disappointed in their expectations; and all these persons lay the blame on the Chancellor. This is especially the case with women since the universal removals and the introduction of the State cookshops. There is even talk of a party of re-action being formed amongst women, but I am thankful to say my wife is not of this number, and I hope to goodness that Agnes is not. The report has been assiduously circulated against the Chancellor that he is at heart an aristocrat. It is even said that he does not clean his boots himself, that he suffers a servant to brush and clean his clothes, that he sends someone from the Treasury to fetch his meals from the State cookshop of his district, instead of going there himself.
53

54

Pictures of the Socialistic Future

Such things would, indeed, be grave offenses against the principle of equality; but it is a question, after all, whether the charges are true. Anyhow, this dissatisfaction which has clearly been nourished by the Younkers, a party composed mainly of flighty youths for whom nothing is good enough, has just culminated in an outburst of public feeling which was manifested in a very blameworthy and ugly spirit. The unveiling of the new allegorical monument, in commemoration of the great deeds of the Paris Commune of 1871, took place yesterday in the square, which was formerly Palace Square. Since then the square has been continually beset by crowds anxious to view this magnificent monument. Returning from a carriage-drive, the Chancellor had to pass the square. He had almost reached the entrance to the Treasury, when all at once, from the neighborhood of the Arsenal, hissing, shouts, and general tumult ensued. In all probability the mounted police (which is now re-instated), had shown rather too great zeal in procuring a passage for the Chancellor’s carriage. The tumult increased in fury, and there were cries: “Down with the aristocrat; down with the proud upstart; pitch the carriage into the canal!” The crowd evidently felt greatly irritated at the now rare spectacle of a private carriage. The Chancellor, with ill-concealed anger, nevertheless bowed courteously in all directions, and gave orders to drive on slowly. All at once, however, he was saluted by a lot of mud and dirt which emanated seemingly from a group of women, and I saw him free himself, as far as possible, from this dirt, and noticed, too, that he forbade the police to attack the women with their truncheons. Scenes such as this, and which are totally unworthy of Socialism, certainly ought not to occur. And I have been glad to hear today, from various quarters, that it is intended to prepare great ovations for the Chancellor.

It is now known that the Chancellor some little time back handed over to the Cabinet an elaborate memorandum. especially after yesterday’s event. He demands that class differences be instituted. and the incident of yesterday was just the last drop which has made the cup run over.Chapter
14
A Ministerial Crisis
T
HE Chancellor has tendered his resignation. which memorandum. for he has had a hundred times more thought and work than any chancellor under the old system had. All wellintentioned persons must sincerely regret this step. the other ministers always contrived to persistently shelve. that the boot cleaning question was really at the bottom of the ministerial crisis. indeed. however. But the Chancellor is said to be in an overwrought and nervous state. The Chancellor insists now on attention being paid to his memorandum. and he has had it inserted in the Onward. however. and says that for his part he cannot possibly dispense with the services of others. this can scarcely be wondered at. It has come out. The ingratitude of the mob has deeply wounded him. The maximum eight hours’ day simply cannot and does not exist for a
55
. And.

such. and that. as Chancellor. mayors of towns. he never took them except when. and we should soon have his colleagues in the Cabinet. were subjected to vexing delay. by reason of the crowd of suppliants who daily organized a hunt after him. as heads of Government departments. he says. of course.56
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
chancellor. it certainly does seem a pity that the whole vast machinery of the State. matters of grave State import. as a consequence. (the Chancellor. That which is demanded by the Chancellor for himself others might with equal right demand. On the other hand. should now and then come to a stop because the Chancellor has to sew a button on. from the limited time at his disposal. and such a consistent Socialist should in the course of his career be tripped up by a stumbling-block of this kind cannot be too much regretted. nor could otherwise exist than by having three chancellors to govern in shifts of eight hours each of the twenty-four. for instance. than either to appear occasionally before the ambassadors of friendly powers minus a button or two on his coat. or to. He urges that he. upon whose smooth working such mighty issues depend. As for his carriage-drives. tidying up his room. it was otherwise quite impossible to obtain a mouthful of fresh air. He argues further that by having a servant to perform such little offices much valuable time would have been saved to the public. or to polish his boots before he can receive someone in audience. fetching his breakfast. but there is no denying that a proposition of this kind is diametrically opposed to the principle of social equality. or too trifling. as is well known. But that such an excellent Chancellor. however. directors of the numerous State institutions. Then again the having to take his meals at the one appointed State cookshop was very irksome. and others. He had no other choice.
. is not married.) do such small repairs as were too pressingly urgent. to be sent to the great State repairing shops.. which he alone was in a position to attend to. himself. very plausible. lost a lot of valuable time each morning over cleaning his boots. brushing his clothes. All this sounds. making the same pretensions. etc. This is a question of greater moment than is apparent to everyone at first sight. and similar offices. and that it would only too strongly tend to introduce the system of household slavery once more. etc.

Chapter
15
Emigration
T
HE ministerial crisis called forth by the boot-polishing question is not yet over. showed any desire to get across the borders. Old persons who are beyond work. so long as they are of working age. just as under the old regime the duty to become a soldier was a universally recognized one. At the beginning of the new order of things scarcely any other persons than gentlemen of private means. True. a decree has been issued against all emigration without the permission of the authorities. and infants. And just as in the old days young men who were ripe for military service were never allowed to emigrate without authority. the working powers of these people had been originally taken account of as a factor in the general
57
. but the right to emigrate cannot be conceded to robust people who are under obligations to the State for their education and culture. Socialism is founded upon the principle that it is the duty of all persons alike to labor. are at liberty to go away. with their families. Meantime. so can our Government similarly not permit the emigration from our shores of such persons as are of the right age to labor.

A word as to authors. but it soon turned out that the labor done by such persons as had never been accustomed to harder work than cutting off coupons. in fact. will gladly sing the praises of Socialism. was of such little value that further assistance from these quarters could well be dispensed with. he who undermines discipline must be bundled out. These people were hence quite at liberty to go. and to being subjected to the supervision of officials. There is. who. the emigration of nearly all the painters. no prohibition of emigration had ever been needed. the clearance of the salons of the bourgeoisie has placed a vast amount of sculpture at our disposal for the decoration of our meeting-halls and the like. They raised objections to working with others in the great State workshops. but would have in future to dedicate them to the nation at large.58
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
sum. These gentlemen who criticize everything. in their leisure hours. If this had been all. and that is. that the proposed erection of statues to many of the departed heroes of our cause seems to be delayed indefinitely. sculptors. one unpleasant fact in connection with the emigration of all the sculptors. however. Not even the statues of those memorable pioneers Stadthagen and Liebknecht are completed. and authors was a thing that could be viewed with the most perfect equanimity. And that does not at all suit these servants of Mammon. and more or less on one and the same pattern. readily be dispensed with in a State where the will of the masses is law. On the other hand. for the good of the State in general. or signing receipts. Long ago Liebknecht used those memorable words: “He who does not bend to the will of the majority. Let all such malcontents go! We shall have no lack of poets. But the incomprehensible part of the business is that it
. may. It had been intimated to artists and sculptors that they would no longer be able to lay their works of art at the feet of insolent wealthy upstarts.” If all such gentlemen go of their own accord so much the better. The new system of working on a grand scale. was not at all to the taste of these gentlemen. and whose very business it is to spread discontent amongst the people. The main thing was to take care that they did not take money or money’s worth with them over the frontier. Then again.

managers of works and mills. The frontier patrols have strict instructions to unceremoniously shoot down all fugitives. lost in the mazes of error. chemists. so soon shall we be well able to do without all these snobs and aristocrats. Hence all these mad notions about the superiority of one man over another. emigrated in shoals.
. Architects.” Unfortunately the Zeitgeist under the old system long went wandering about. The frontiers towards Switzerland have received especial attention from the authorities. In order to do so all the more effectually.Emigration
59
was observed that useful people. Ideas are the product of the Zeitgeist in the minds of individuals. the Community has made him what he is. in which countries Socialism has not succeeded in getting itself established. it is only right and fair that they should stay here with us. engineers. to America. however. to England. The main cause of this would appear to be a certain exaltation of mind which is greatly to be regretted. These people imagine themselves to be something better. teachers. and all kinds of skilled workmen. Our Chancellor is an energetic man. Bebel very truly said: “Whatever the individual man may be. and to the seaport towns. and people who had really learnt something. Until such time. It is announced that the standing army will be increased by many battalions of infantry and squadrons of cavalry. doctors. it has been deemed expedient to send strong bodies of troops to the frontiers. went away in ever-increasing numbers to Switzerland. and it is to be hoped he will long continue at the head of affairs. Under these circumstances the Government is to be commended for stringently carrying out its measures to prevent emigration. and they cannot bear the thought of getting only the same guerdon as the simple honest day laborer. As soon as our young people shall have received proper training in our socialistic institutions. and shall have become penetrated with the noble ambition to devote all their energies to the service of the Community.

.

Let us bear in mind the danger we should run of causing the whole socialistic edifice to come tumbling about our ears if only one single essential key-stone were once tampered with. by
61
. and the President of the Chamber has been nominated as his successor. Hence the necessity for the reconstruction of the Cabinet. It was in reference to this very identical question of boot-cleaning that Bebel once wrote: “No man is degraded by work.Chapter
16
Retirement Of The Chancellor
M
Y ardent wish has not been fulfilled. The chief ground for this was that such an infraction of the principle of social equality would lead to altogether incalculable consequences.” The Government was strongly inclined to follow the method proposed by Bebel for the solution of this difficulty in practical life. The Chancellor’s resignation has been accepted. not even when that work consists of cleaning boots. It seems the Cabinet was not able to come to a unanimous determination to accept the responsibility of allowing the Chancellor to engage a few servants for his private convenience. Many a man of high birth has had to find this out in America.

but less energetic. unter den Linden. a man who is determined not to be obnoxious in any quarter. With somewhat too much ostentation. but to make matters pleasant all round. which he was taking to the district repairing-shop to have cleaned and repaired. with a large bundle of old clothes under his arm. His successor is stated to be of a more conciliatory. the new Chancellor appeared today at the State cookshop of his district. character. so he has retired from office. duly taking his place in the long row. But the prospect of having to wait for suitable machinery to do all such offices for him did not seem at all to the Chancellor’s taste.
. Afterwards he was to be seen.62 Pictures of the Socialistic Future
turning increased attention to the question of getting clothes brushed and boots cleaned by means of machinery. and dining when it came to his turn.

I shall no longer have to be employed in the workshop. Schiller was one of the bourgeois. and nothing more. I only wish Franz had the same good luck. but notwithstanding this. So far is this from being the case that
63
. (And hence the gift to understand. One does not work merely for the sake of a bit of bread. Not for one moment that we are above our trades. but I know that Franz feels exactly as I do. I always liked those lines of his: “’Tis this indeed mankind doth grace.) First in his inward self to trace All that he fashions with his hand.” Unfortunately. and the style in which work is now done in all workshops does not suit Franz and me a bit.Chapter
17
In And About The Workshops
I
AM very glad that I have now received the appointment as checker which my friend in office promised me some time ago. our mates in the workshops nowadays are not conscious of any such feeling. and could get away from his compositor’s desk.

and. is the way they have now of spinning the work out so. as he writes me. the pure moral atmosphere would stimulate every man to excel his neighbor. the Community expects every man to do his duty. they say: “If the job is not finished today it will be finished tomorrow. I made a little appeal to them in these words: “Colleagues. It would have driven me crazy if. but others forge the links which shall fetter you just as it pleases them. and nothing more. And everyone of us gets back a part of whatever benefit the Community reaps as a whole. No one is any longer. The other day it got rather too much for me. Lest the laggards be last. the forger of the links of his own happiness. You are all old Socialists. We have only eight hours’ work. This is the strain. comrades. I had been plagued with such a crew of workmen as I now have to work with.” Piece-work and working in gangs have ceased This is only natural.”
. but for the Community. There is no describing the amount of damage done to material and tools through inattention and carelessness. as such styles of working could never he brought into harmony with the ideas of equality of wages and of working hours.64
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
anybody would think workshops are simply places to kill time in. when I was a master. and this time he is not so much in the wrong as he usually is. Only just reflect. my patience being exhausted.” Diligence and zeal are looked upon as stupidity and perversity. so writes Franz. in which Franz writes. But what Franz does not quite like. In spite of sure and regular wages. The universal watchword is: “Don’t push on too fast. that we no longer toil for capitalists and plunderers. when the new order of things came. and you will remember the hope Bebel used to have that. And indeed why should one be industrious? The most diligent comes off no better than the laziest.

” Since that. supposing I were really to get it back?” And then they all sang in chorus: “Is our Community not to thy taste? Get thee gone to another with all possible haste. and not an eight hours’ one.999 take it easy? What could I buy myself with this one fifty-millionth part of the fruit of my additional industry. and at another by the mates. and upon this the whole body struck up the “Marseillaise. The longer the night the greater the quantity of beer which is drunk during work. that they are now chosen by the workmen.” taking care to especially emphasize the words. like Franz and myself. The Community is a large affair. Shall I work and slave for the 50 millions whilst the other 49. And the worst of it is. Franz on one occasion respectfully asked the others to make a little less noise. but he was unable to alter it.” There are still masters and foremen in the workshops just as there were formerly. do not altogether go with the masses. Bebel promised us a four hours’ day.999. and Franz had to take his place for a day or two. not said another word. “Down with despotism. are in rather a bad fi x. Lately the foreman was unwell. and with the majority.In And About The Workshops
65
“Fine preaching!” they said mockingly. you can no more get away from such a workshop than a soldier can escape from the company in which his drill-sergeant ill-treats him. The late Chancellor foresaw all this well enough. The newspaper in their office is hardly ever ready for going to press at the right time. In this list penalties are threatened
. and the greater the number of printers’ errors. The list of penalties enacted under his leadership against all infractions of the duty of labor is to be seen in all workshops where it has not yet been torn down. When no longer acceptable to the workmen they are deposed. Franz has had experiences similar to mine. of course. only with this difference. At one time they get badly treated by the masters. Hence they have to take care to keep in with the leaders in a shop. although they have half as many compositors again on it as in old times. Those persons who. “It is a pity we have no longer occasion for parsons. I have.

66 Pictures of the Socialistic Future

against idleness, inattention, disobedience, carelessness, impertinence to superiors, and a host of offenses. These penalties consist of the withdrawal of the money-certificate, the reduction of the meat rations, the deprivation of the entire midday meal, and even of incarceration. But where there is none to bring a charge there is no need of a judge. Directors and managers are chosen just in the same way as masters and foremen, and they have to look to it that they do not ruffle those who elect them. In those rare cases where denunciations do take place, the judicial proceedings are tedious, and full of detail. Recently, however, a number of builders got denounced by passers-by, who had their patience tired out by the lengthy intervals of rest taken, and by the careful scrutiny applied to every individual brick. On another occasion, the inmates of an entire establishment were transferred to another part of the country. But, as a rule, this transference to other parts only arises from political reasons. It is on this account that the Younkers are now agitating to obtain for all working-men the same permanence which judges enjoy in their office. Th is matter of removal to other places has its odd side. The principle of social equality requires that every man, no matter where he be, finds everything precisely as it was in the old place. He finds exactly the same wages, the same food, the same dwelling, and so on, as those he left behind him. Well, Rome was not built in a day. And this very spirit of selfishness which we see so much of in our workshops, what is it other than the evil inheritance left us by a state of society in which every man strove to gain an advantage over every other man? Our new schools and institutions will very soon create that “moral atmosphere” in which the tree of Socialism will grow and flourish, and extend the welcome shadow of its branches to the whole human species.

Chapter

18

Family Matters
UNDAY was such a Sunday as I had never spent before. My wife got permission at last to visit little Annie. It seems that the observance of order in the Children’s Homes necessitates the regulation that parents should only see their children in their due turn. How my wife had pictured to herself the meeting with her child! All sorts of cakes, and sweetmeats, and playthings had been got together to take to her. But to mother’s great distress she found she had to leave all these things behind her at the entrance. It was forbidden, she learned, for any of the children to have any playthings which were not common to all, because this would not accord with their education, which taught absolute social equality. The same thing applied to sweetmeats. Such things were only too apt to give rise to quarrels and vexations, and to disturb the regular course of matters in the Home. My wife was in perfect ignorance of these new regulations, as for some time past she has been engaged in the kitchen of her Home, and not in attending to the children.
67

S

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Then again, my wife had expected that Annie would show more lively and tender delight at meeting with her mother. But in her new surroundings the child was disposed to be less confiding than she had always been. True, the separation had not been a long one, but there is a good deal of truth in the case of young children, in the words, “Out of sight out of mind.” Then again, the idea of seeing her mother had constantly been associated in Annie’s mind with the expectation of sweets and playthings. But now she beheld her mother come with empty hands. Childlike, she soon wanted a change again, and she quickly got away from the embraces of her mother in order to rejoin the other children at play. My wife found Annie looking somewhat pale and changed. This is probably due to the different way of living, and the different kind of nourishment. Naturally, the strictest order is maintained in the Home. But (and the same intention pervades all our institutions) there is no superfluity of victuals, and the large scale of the undertaking does not admit of any pampering of individual children. Children’s looks vary so rapidly, and were Annie now at home with us, her looks would hardly disquieten the experienced mother. But, of course, it is a different thing altogether when separated, and mother now pictures to herself the approach of some disease which she sees herself powerless to contend against. A conversation my wife had with one of the Kindergarten teachers of the Home threw her into considerable agitation. My wife was lamenting the separation of young children from their parents, when this person cut short her complaint by the abrupt remark: “Oh, we hear these doleful complaints here daily. Even animals, devoid of reason, soon get over it when their young are taken away. With how much more ease ought women to become reconciled to it, women who are reckoned amongst thinking beings.” My wife wanted to complain to the governor of this woman’s unfeelingness, but I advised her not to do so, because the woman would be sure to have her revenge out of Annie. She does not know what it is to be a mother. And she can’t even get a husband, although, as I am credibly informed, it is not for lack of having, on several

too. because her father’s complaints would only have made her heart still heavier. and in the maintenance houses all such little things are. anon he feels a pinching or a pricking sensation there. The everlasting reading. and before my wife had returned. grandfather has now a good deal more time to think about himself than he had in our family circle. and here he would try to make himself useful. Now he has a pain here. but the fact is. too. no matter how light. whilst I was away. I was really thankful that my wife was not present. by the absence of most of the old furniture. His wish is to be put to some trade. He used to be a good deal in the workshop with me. the whole business of study is not at all in his way. where there was always something to interest him and distract his attention. an old playfellow of his. It happened. And I have no doubt whatever of his
. old people have this weakness of clinging to old habits and little ways. and is often out of sorts. Before my wife had returned from the long journey to the Children’s Home. holds them bound up with the present. and preserves them from sudden bodily and mental decay. writing. What he did was of no great account but then it occupied him. so I went with him. whereas any little work. It was with difficulty that the old gentleman had found his way up the steep and dark staircase to our new home. Externally I saw no difference in him. But then. he found the door locked. Of course. He can’t somehow at all get used to his institution. keeps up their interest in life. grandfather came in. and learning by heart—in short. his health is not quite so good as it used to be. that an invincible longing for home had made him employ an hour’s freedom in rushing off to see his parents. made use of the equality now enjoyed by women of themselves proposing. broken through and swept away. and only to learn whatever has reference to that. that Ernst came to pay us a visit. and he was much touched. with some harshness. but he told a neighbor’s boy. I could not let him go back alone. Grandfather fancies. The doing nothing is not at all a good thing for old people. To say the truth. unfortunately.Family Matters 69
occasions. The poor old man felt quite strange in our tiny little new place. they were trifling and external matters he had to complain about.

that all persons are born with about the same amount of intelligence.70
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
making a good craftsman. and that. have the same identical training.
. But our Minister of Instruction is of the same opinion that Bebel was of. up to their eighteenth year (when technical education begins). as a necessary preparation for the social equality of their after lives. they must all alike. therefore.

In all the theaters there are two performances on week-days. The new Chancellor is going the right way to work to make himself popular. As a matter of course. there are still to be found persons here and there who show some scruples. many of the churches are now appropriated to this purpose. But it is perfectly clear that the churches have become common property. and who somehow do not seem to be able to cut themselves loose from old and deeprooted superstitions.Chapter
19
Recreations Of The People
O
PEN-AIR concerts are continually being given in the various public squares of Berlin. industrious Community inherited from the bourgeoisie have proved very inadequate in point of number and size. the theaters which our busy. and these are all gratis. from the provisions of the law framed at the Erfurt Conference of October. and it is equally clear. It has hence been found necessary to supplement them by the addition of various other large buildings. that no common property can be devoted to ecclesiastical or religious purposes. Amongst others. 1891. and subsequently adopted. and three on Sundays.
71
. As regards the latter.

72

Pictures of the Socialistic Future

Naturally, no other plays are given at the theaters than such as represent the glories of the new order, and which keep the sordidness of past capitalists and plunderers in lively remembrance. For any considerable length of time there is, it must be confessed, an element of monotony in this. But, anyhow, it shows up the rightness of our principles, and this is sometimes very necessary. At first, everyone was at liberty to go to any theater, just wherever and however he liked. But this senseless competition is now superseded by a well-devised organization of the people’s diversions. It was found that the representations of classic, socialistic plays were made to rows of empty seats, whereas in places where special artistes were engaged, the spectators were packed like sardines. They used to fight almost for the best places. Now all that is different, and the Town Council distributes in rotation to the various theatrical managers the pieces to be represented. The several managers dispose of the seats by lottery to such spectators as have been apportioned to them for that particular evening and play, thus following the plan introduced in 1889 at the socialistic Popular Free Theatre. There is a saying, “Good luck in love, bad luck at play.” And we have experienced the truth of this. As luck would have it, my wife and I have lately, on three successive occasions, got such bad places assigned to us through this lottery system that she could hear nothing, and I found it just as impossible to see anything. She is a little hard of hearing, and I am very short-sighted. Neither of these qualities is in perfect harmony with the idea of social equality as illustrated by the theater. Dancing is another of the diversions which are arranged every evening by the city authorities. The entrance is on the same principle as in the case of the theaters, and young and old are all equally entitled to appear. The reform of the etiquette of dancing seemed, at first, to present some few difficulties from a socialistic point of view. This reform has, however, been carried out, and the equality of the ladies is now thereby asserted that the choice of partners made by the ladies alternates regularly with the choice made by the gentlemen. Bebel says, indeed, that women have just the same right to seek that men have to seek

Recreations Of The People 73

them. But the attempt to apply this principle to dancing, by leaving it optional to each sex, in every single dance, to solicit partners, had soon to be abandoned, as it was found that the order of the dances was in danger of becoming involved in inextricable entanglement. Various interesting letters have appeared in the Onward, which discuss, in a very exhaustive and subtle manner, the question whether, in a socialized community, in the dance, such a thing is conceivable as a “right” on the part of certain women to men; or vice versa, a right on the part of men to women? The equal obligation all round to labor, as one lady points out in the Onward, clearly entitles all alike to enjoy the same recompense. One part of this recompense is found in joining in those dances which have been organized by the State. No lady could find any pleasure in the dance without a partner of the other sex, whilst it is even more apparent that no gentleman would dance without a lady. On the part of this lady, the practical solution of the difficulty was suggested in the Onward, that for the future all partners at dancing, irrespective of age, beauty, ugliness, and everything else, be chosen by drawing lots. She contends that precisely as in a socialized community there are no persons without work, and without shelter, so in the same way there must never be any ladies at a dance without their proper partners. But a professor of Modern Natural Law has sent a letter to the paper expressing the fear that, in process of time, this method of organizing the selection of partners in the dance might have unforeseen results of an unpleasant kind. He fears it might in time lead to a demand for the recognition of a right of marriage, to a demand that the State take the regulation of marriage into its own hands, by a gigantic universal raffle of men and women. He is strongly of opinion that, precisely as a marriage-tie is a strictly private contract, made without the intervention of any functionary whatever, so in the same way must a temporary union between a lady and a gentleman in the dance preserve the character of a private contract; and he deprecates the idea of any master of the ceremonies meddling, either by lottery or in any other way, with such engagements.

74 Pictures of the Socialistic Future

As a matter of fact though, I understand that a large number of ladies take the view that a consistent social equality demands the abolition of the differences between married and unmarried. These ladies have lately joined the party of the Younkers, although in reality they themselves are for the most part of a somewhat ripe age. Anyhow, the extension of the right of voting to women may materially tend to add strength to the Opposition at the approaching election. Preparations are now being made for a speedy general election. The vast number of calls which the preliminary arrangements for the new socialistic State made upon the time and attention of the Government did not admit of the elections taking place at an earlier date. The right to vote is possessed by all persons of both sexes who have passed their twentieth year. The system of election decided upon is the so-called system of proportional election, which was adopted by the Erfurt Conference in October, 1891. According to this system, large electoral divisions, with several candidates, are constituted, and each political party returns to Parliament a number of representatives in proportion to the votes recorded for that particular party.

Chapter

20

Disagreeable Experiences

M

Y wife and Agnes sit up until far into the night, busy with their dressmaking in secret. The work in hand is a new dress for Agnes. As checker, I ought by rights to denounce the pair of them to the proper authorities for over-production, and for exceeding the maximum hours of labor. Fortunately, however, they are not amongst the fifty persons forming the section which it is my business to control. The two are even more talkative than usual when engaged in this work of dressmaking. As far as I can make out, they have not been able to find what they wanted at any of the magazines, and so they are altering and adapting some other garments to their fancy, They vie with each other in girding at the new State magazines. Show-windows, puffing, and advertising, sending out lists of prices; all this sort of thing, it seems, has entirely ceased. There is an end to all talk, they complain, of what novelties are to be had, and also to all gossip about prices. The salesmen appointed by the State are all as short in their manner as the officials on State railways always
75

all law is now gratis. the more questions you ask as to their make and durability. you have either to take the article as it is and make the best of it. for the wretched condition of the dwellings. All competition between shops has naturally ceased. the abruptness and rudeness of its salesmen and other officials are as the sand upon the sea-shore. he tells you at once they have not got it in stock. But even this large addition is far from sufficing for the requirements. or baggy there. As resolved at the Conference of Erfurt in October. is prohibited). the tailor being profuse in his assurances that the number which corresponds to your measurement must of necessity fit you well. Rather than fetch any article from another part of the magazine. it needs all the eloquence you are master of to convince the tailor that the garment really is so. the courts find it utterly impossible to get through the cases set down in
.76 Pictures of the Socialistic Future
have been. It is. as the actions brought against the State for the inferiority of the goods it supplies. and to no other. Some of these salesmen scowl as soon as the shop-door is opened. As a necessary result of this. and they have to rise from some thrilling book. the number of judges and lawyers has had to be increased tenfold. The trying-on reminds you of the dressing-up of recruits in barracks. The greater the variety of goods you wish to look at. a matter of the most perfect indifference to the salesman whether you buy anything or not. of course. Going to law is now a very cheap affair. If any garment which has been made to order turns out to be tight here. or to fight the State in an action at law. and for any certain given article you have to go to one certain magazine. at home. If you wish to purchase ready-made clothing (in this connection I may remark that all private dressmaking and the like. outside of the maximum eight hours day. the greater does the ire of the salesman become. 1891. or they get interrupted in some other pleasant occupation. If you do not succeed in convincing him. the bad quality of the food. This is a necessity of the organization of production and consumption. the outlook is generally a very poor one. With the limitations caused by the prescribed eight hours.

Hence. constitute an evil which extends to the very highest spheres. adulteration of goods. many persons who do not find an agreeable excitement in the mere fact of going to law. In order to make good any deficiency which a lack of coupons would betray. who have nice and easy work to give out. to extract a coupon of the right value from the money-certificates of buyers. Officials of all grades dispose of goods belonging to the State in consideration of some private favor or service rendered to them personally. Hitherto I had always consoled myself with the sure belief that things would get better as soon as we had survived the period of transition. There would appear to be too great a tendency to settle all differences summarily and in batches. prefer. but now I can scarcely conceal from myself the fact that they get rapidly worse. in the due performance of their duties as salesmen. there are complaints that since the abolition of all fees. It is very sad to have to notice that dishonesty is on the increase. even though gold and silver have quite disappeared. even in spite of the law’s gratuitousness. or who otherwise possess influence. and vexation of bringing an action. The photographs with which these are all provided have. One of my colleagues tried to explain the cause of this
. and since their appointment as State officials. in practice. So far from this being the case.Disagreeable Experiences 77
the calendar. to put up with any injustice rather than subject themselves to all the running about. loss of time. recourse is then had to shortness of weight and measurement. in exchange for goods supplied. and so on. The number of embezzlements is now seven times greater than it used to be. Not that lawyers and barristers can be reproached with any wish to unduly prolong suits. My office as checker lets me into many a secret behind the scenes which I was formerly quite ignorant of. not proved a sufficient safeguard against the use of the certificates by other persons. Thefts of money-certificates are also of frequent occurrence. The promises and presents of all kinds made to persons in high positions. or else they neglect. lawyers scarcely listen at all to what their clients have to say. We never hold a conference with our head checker without our attention being called to some fresh dodge or trick in reference to these matters.

His explanation is. that which is in no other way attainable. their whole effort is now directed to get. that since people find the utter impossibility of improving. that position of equality which has been prescribed for all persons alike.
. by honest endeavor and in a legitimate way.78
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
today. in a dishonest way.

as though it were a matter of never seeing each other more. in response to her inquiry. too. On Sunday morning Franz arrived here unexpectedly on his way to Stettin. hung upon his neck. and seemed utterly incapable of bearing the separation from her son. She sobbed aloud. as I take it. but I heard that they intended to meet at the railway station. It took me some considerable time to bring her back to consciousness. that once more a number of emigrants. Franz parted from me. On Wednesday I chanced to read to my wife some intelligence in the Onward. he has been transferred. that this had taken place in the roadstead of Sassnitz. in seeking to evade pursuit by the frontier guards. Presently she narrated to me in broken
79
. and upon my saying. but she showed all the more emotion at his going away again. to which town.Chapter
21
Flight
W
E have just passed through terrible days. Agnes was not about at the time. She became greatly excited at the news. she fainted. had been shot down by the latter. My wife appeared not the least surprised at his coming.

Seeing his determination was unalterable. selling her wares for the most part to a house in a large way. From the account in the paper. The emigrants offered resistance. in the stillness and purity of the maternal home. Her chaste maidenliness was often shocked at a good deal of the talk. In old days. Fearing that my well-known respect for the law might lead me to oppose his intentions. my wife had laid by sundry gold pieces. she added. They were anxious hours we spent before our fears were somewhat set at rest by the appearance of a new number of the Onward. but to Sassnitz. she said. But in a short time her own circumstances became so unpleasant that she altered her opinion. and at the familiarities between the
. it seems that. It seems that Franz had some time previously confided to her his fi xed determination to leave Germany as soon as possible. with a list of the killed and arrested. and attempted to drag the fugitive emigrants back by sheer force. to follow Franz to the end of the world if needs be. but what can have become of them? My wife now related to me the story of the young people’s resolve to get away from the country. with the intention of leaving Germany altogether. and these she gave to Franz to make use of as passage-money on a foreign ship. At first. All this I have only just learnt. Agnes had opposed the plan. and there was a sanguinary encounter. the young maiden used to carry on her business as a milliner.80
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
sentences that Franz and Agnes had gone off together on Sunday. he earnestly begged his mother not to breathe a syllable of his plans to me. not. as I had supposed. as he found the state of affairs unbearable. the good mother could no longer find it in her heart to oppose it. and to spend the whole day with a number of women and girls. and quite unknown to me. to Stettin. Now she saw herself obliged to work in a big sewing establishment. what necessity there was for their leaving all else that was dear to them. She was ready. many of whom had habits and principles not at all to her mind. upon the arrival of the Danish mail-steamer from Stettin. All her efforts to induce him to give up the idea were futile. the frontier guards at once boarded the vessel. but she could not see at present. Franz and Agnes were not in either of the lists. In old days.

had no protector in Berlin. An abrupt repulse on the part of Agnes only subjected her to those petty annoyances and harassments in her work by which a mean nature seeks its revenge. or lovers of maidens whose honors is thus menaced. manslaughter. and latterly she and my wife sat up half the night to get all ready for the journey. the arrival of a letter from the English coast put an end to our fears. that Sunday which had given rise to so much anxiety and painful uncertainty to us. many of the managers seem to look upon their workgirls as little better than defenseless slaves. At length the decisive Sunday had been reached. who are delivered over to them. According to this letter the pair were fortunately not on board the Danish mail-steamer. but as they themselves act not a whit differently as regards the abuse of power. at last. but. Her personal attractions likewise soon drew upon her an amount of offensive attention from one of the head managers.Flight
81
girls and the male managers. at the expiration of nearly a week. they are very lenient in respect of all complaints made to them. Her complaining letters to Franz in Leipsig drove him to desperation. The letter went on to say that the inhabitants of the coast about there are greatly incensed against the new order of things. Agnes. that cases of personal chastisement. Permission to go
. Nowadays. The suspense was terrible. that people could make a change if anything did not suit them. Agnes coincided heartily with his views. Many of the higher placed officials see all this well enough. But at least there was then this advantage. and ripened his resolve to no longer delay the execution of his plans. is a distant relation of my wife’s. to whose house they had gone on their arrival there. however. and even murder are frightfully on the increase. The fisherman at Sassnitz. Sundry complaints she made only tended to make her position still more unpleasant. because by it they have been largely deprived of the comfortable living they made out of visitors to the different bathing-places. I make no manner of doubt that there was plenty of this sort of thing under the old system. Under such circumstances the near relations. who only has her mother left. The result of this state of things is. have often no other resource left than to take the law into their own hands.

because a vigilant look-out had latterly been kept on these. He took them up as far as Stubbenkammer Point. and now they are already on their way to New York. Our wary fisherman strongly opposed all idea of taking a passage by one of the mail-steamers. and made for the open sea. where he fell in with an English goods steamer returning from Stettin. my wife who kept all her cares and troubles so long locked up in her bosom. and availing himself of the attention of the authorities being engrossed by the affair of the Danish steamer. So in a short time Franz and Agnes duly reached England. never lose an opportunity of having a slap at our socialistic Government by giving all the aid they can to persons desirous of leaving the country.82
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
to watering-places and health resorts is now only accorded to such persons as are duly recommended by a properly constituted medical commission. quite unknown to me! How shall I ever be able to recompense her for all the immense sacrifices she has made as a mother?
. above all. Poor children! what a deal they must have gone through! And my good wife. whose captain readily transferred the fugitives to his vessel. he put Franz and Agnes on board his fishing smack. The English. whose trade has been very seriously affected by the new order of things. Watching his opportunity.

Chapter
22
Another New Chancellor
T
HE discontent in the country has now reached its culmination upon its becoming generally known that all concerts. and they wanted to know what enjoyment of Nature there was during heavy rains. The Onward attempted to soothe the feelings of the people in the country by graceful and appropriate references to the advantages of country life. and the sweet freshness of the air. and upon the right of all to enjoy the same identical recompense for the same labors. and other amusements in Berlin are free. The inhabitants of every little insignificant bit of a place demand that the national purse provide them with the same diversions that we have here. and the like. They say that even under the best of circumstances they are still placed at a great disadvantage. as every village can’t have gas or electric lighting. This was looked upon as irony. and theaters. and they base their claim upon the acknowledged social equality of all. heating by hot-air pipes. or in the long winter evenings?
83
. idyllic remarks upon the enjoyment of nature.

and a company of specialists at every street-crossing. And under these circumstances they must look to the State to provide them with just the same amusements as the large towns had. however. and a corresponding number of country people brought up to the attractions of the town. in order that the feeling against him might not unduly prejudice the coming general elections. But the country people. They admitted the truth of this. a circus. Now. But with the best will in the world he could not possibly have a band of music. This scheme of planning recreations for the people has been about the only thing he has carried through. his retirement was deemed expedient. It was pointed out to them that it had never been any different. Pondering upon this business. or in the stables and shippons?” Thus they grumbled in letters to the paper.
. the happy thought occurred to him to have a few hundred thousand Berliners transferred to the enjoyments of the country every Sunday. They merely asked for equal rights for all. and no more. The Chancellor did not at all know what to do. it was very different. but then went on to say that formerly everyone who did not care to stay in the country was at liberty to remove into a town. Henceforth places at the theaters and similar entertainments can only be had against payment in the coupons of the money-certificates. the disgust at the stoppage of all further free recreations is universal. as might be expected. The wise government of a people has unquestionably more knotty points about it than the cleaning of boots and the brushing of clothes. But unfortunately for this social equality the weather proved very unequal. In Berlin. After the Chancellor had succeeded in thus setting the townspeople and the country people thoroughly at loggerheads with each other. and the countryman was tied to his clod of earth until it pleased the authorities to dispose otherwise of him. who had arrived in great numbers. naturally expected those seats at the various places of amusement which the Berliners did not care to relinquish.84
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
“What fresh air do we get in the cramped little cottages in the country. In rainy weather the Berlin people showed no great liking for damp excursions into the country.

. This latter quality will be all the more welcome. and he also has the reputation of being a good financier. regardless of all considerations. He is known as a man who goes straight to the point. as there are all sorts of ugly whispers abroad respecting the disproportion there is between income and expenditure in the finances of the socialized Community.Another New Chancellor 85
The Secretary to the Treasury has been appointed as the Chancellor’s successor.

.

and to keep a good watch on the frontiers. These are amongst the first measures taken by the new Chancellor to avert dangers which menace us from abroad. in consequence of the deplorable growth of friction. of complications and dissensions with foreign powers.000 men with a view the better to maintain order at home. In the speech which the Foreign Secretary made before the Committee of Government. In addition to this. In the socialized Community it was the province of this Minister to arrange with foreign powers for the barter of all goods between State and State.Chapter
23
Foreign Complications
T
HE entire navy left by the late Government is to be got ready for service with all possible speed. It resulted from this arrangement that all complaints in respect of inferiority of goods. the standing army. has been still further strengthened. which had already been increased to 500. he calls attention to the necessity there is for them. But it must distinctly be understood that the Minister for Foreign Affairs was in no way responsible for this unfortunate state of things.
87
. and in which he unfolded the above measures.

from the jealousies of competition. or from similar commercial causes. He said it need occasion no surprise that the English. This is in the nature of the new arrangements. and their American cousins. would have nothing at all to do with Socialism. accepted without a murmur the abolition of all claims for interest on such foreign bonds as were in our possession. and the sentiment of the brotherhood of all nations. toning down differences. The Minister went on to say it had been hoped that the almost universal consciousness of having adopted right principles. Austrian. and they show such a want of regard for us. These various socialistic governments do not thank us a bit for having. They never could get over it that the socialistic European continent. and which formerly had only affected mercantile circles. would play a different part than had been found to be the case in actual practice. All that tension which sometimes ensued from the breaking off of business connections. that egotistical Manchester race. we are constantly coming across all kinds of obstacles in the way of the exchange of our goods for commodities
. Payment in money was no difficulty to our Government so long as any of those stocks of coined and uncoined gold and silver which had become worthless to us were left. in our lofty consciousness of the international value of Socialism. But now that we have by degrees got to the end of our stock of noble metals. and bringing universal peace. had shaken off all slavish indebtedness to English holders of continental scrip. that they positively go the length of refusing to let us have any goods except against either money down. This was evident. inasmuch as all the Russian. But even these inveterate lovers of money ought to see that Germany had lost unnumbered millions more by the repudiation than it had gained. and so on. was now transferred to the direct relations which one nation had with another. shares. or an equivalent value in such other goods as they may require.88
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
or un-punctuality in supplying them. by the repudiation of all State bonds. Italian and other bonds in German hands had also been repudiated by the socialistic governments of those countries. Several of these governments have latterly become so egotistical. had to be attended to in the form of diplomatic notes.

as a precautionary measure. such as corn. and pretend that in this matter they must be guided by such special features as climate.
.Foreign Complications 89
which we need from other countries. Quite the reverse. ribbons. with the enhanced cost of production. is but a meager compensation for the loss of our export trade. as the various socialistic governments allow particular interests to influence them. Nay. but they are every bit as numerous on the part of the neighboring socialistic nations. petroleum. we cannot make our trade pay. They say that since the restoration of the precise balance of social equality. embroideries. the question is even debated whether it would not be advisable. with similar views to our own. These obstructions are not confined to the snobbish gentlemen of England and America. and no more expensive wines from abroad. pianos. both on the West and on the East. coffee. now require no more silk. hints have fallen that the right thing for Germany to do. flax. as security for the bill which Germany had run up for goods supplied to her. shawls. What is our Government to do in this dilemma? The fact that we. But the neighboring States. on our part. and the like. cotton. and they say that unless an improvement takes place they will have to look to other sources of supply. gloves. from ironware and textile goods down to stockings and toys. timber. But even as it is. would be for her to cede slices of the country to neighboring States. in their enmity to Socialism. mantles. tell us that since the introduction of the socialistic form of government they find no demand at all for German goods. national character. such as velvets. seeing she seems incapable of maintaining her population. are everlastingly drumming it into us that our manufactures. Our requirements for the articles just mentioned have not diminished one atom under our socialistic form of government. that they can no longer pay us the old prices. glass and similar wares. amounting to many millions. they produce more of these goods themselves than there is a demand for. have so deteriorated under the new system of manufacture. All attempts to settle an international maximum working-day have failed. The English and Americans. wool. to lay an attachment on these border lands. etc. Already. It can occasion no surprise that the exchange of diplomatic notes partakes daily of an increasingly irritable character.

In short. Then again.
. take every opportunity of indemnifying themselves by laying an embargo on German vessels and merchandise. is a permanent cause of angry representations. the assistance given by foreign ships to fugitives from our country. and it would doubtless also sanction the increase of the army to a million men. the hope that the advent of Socialism everywhere would prove synonymous with the reign of eternal peace between the nations. The Minister concluded his speech by saying that the Committee of Government could hence hardly fail to see the necessity there was for the navy being again fitted out for service.90
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
Foreign holders of German bonds who feel themselves injured by our repudiation. was so far from being realized that the very opposite threatened.

and in the election cries. cheaper clothes. more splendid lighting. (since the complications with various foreign powers. Many of the addresses issued by the candidates bristle with proposals for the reform of the daily bills of fare. for better beer.Chapter
24
The Election Stir
T
HE general election is at last to take place. etc. as nowadays a hundred times more issues depend upon the result of an election than was formerly the case. stronger coffee. etc. The number of parties which advocate particular interests is legion. how much he has to eat and drink. This is already very apparent in the addresses to constituents. how he must be dressed.
91
. we scarcely ever get any coffee that is not made exclusively of chicory. for the increase of the meat rations. housed and what not. better heating apparatus.) for finer houses. the law has to prescribe to each separate individual how long he must labor. Laws are everything in a socialistic State. This choice of a day of rest and leisure deserves the highest commendation. and next Sunday is fi xed as the polling day. whiter underlinen.

it is abundantly clear that the concession of demands such as these must of necessity upset
. and they want to make out that they are the real genuine Bebelites. abolition of the State cookshops. have now thrown in their lot with the Younkers and this party. These politicians are now constantly appealing to Bebel’s book on woman. and having divisions common to both. The Government party shows considerable confidence. the monthly duration of all appointments to high offices and offices of State (including the office of Chancellor). fear that. and which. The ground for this rejection was that the demand was a reactionary endeavor to split up the interests of the whole Community into separate interests. The women. all such appointments to be held in rotation by all persons in the State. coupled with the other fact that the support of women candidates by men is not at all to be relied on. with a sojourn at the sea-side or in the country. They fear that the result of this. on their part. many of their voters will in the end go over to the men’s side. but it calls upon all other parties. by throwing in their lot with the men. and a better recompense for the higher kinds of labor. and lastly. four weeks’ holiday in the year for everybody. in reality. the program it has issued does not go beyond ordinary commonplace. as true patriots. quite irrespective of age. free choice of trades and professions. under the enticing name of a Party of Freedom. This so-called party of freedom demands the re-recognition of the right of parents to bring up their children. to forget their differences. sought to ingratiate itself with the nation. Now. will be that they will be able to carry but a limited number of candidates. although. in opposition to the party of negation and demolition. weekly change in the kind of labor to be performed. however. entire liberty to move about as one pleases. which was stealthily increasing. A large number of women.92
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
Many women are extremely indignant at the rejection of their demand that one half of the representatives in the various divisions be of their sex. the better to render the new alliance permanent. without distinction. has inscribed upon its banner the right of all women to marriage. the re-introduction of free amusements. and to unite and form a grand Party of Order. Their program is—A four hours’ maximum working-day.

when not already engaged. have the requisite courage to boldly face the Government as opponents. in October. the doctrine of inheritance. may
. so they are unable to hold a meeting.The Election Stir 93
all equality. In this respect the Socialists were vastly better off under the old style. People can now say what they think. They then had large sums at their disposal. Following the resolutions passed at the Erfurt Conference. all such laws as tended to limit freedom of speech and the right of combination are now abrogated. they find it has been previously engaged. the public halls. but by an unfortunate oversight at the issue of the money-certificates. In old days people took a good deal more interest in an election. there were no coupons supplied for such particular purposes. or sent away to a distant part of the country. 1891. and it must be admitted they knew how to apply them judiciously. when it comes to the test. and the plundering system of bygone days. As often as they want a hall or a room. The fact that every obnoxious person may be unceremoniously told off by the Government to some other occupation. after all. the amount of excitement shown at the present election is strangely out of proportion to the number and many-sidedness of the election cries. it is just the various Opposition parties that invariably have such ill-luck in this way. may be taken by parties of all shades of politics for purposes of public meeting. but what is the good of a free press so long as the Government is in possession of every printing establishment? What is the right of public meeting worth when every single meeting-hall belongs to the Government? True. The Opposition parties complain bitterly of the scarcity of persons who. as it chances. But. and be eminently calculated to sap the very foundations of Socialism. the sovereignty of wealth. either as candidates for Parliament or as speakers at election meetings. The press organs of the Government are in duty bound to insert such election notices from all parties as are paid for as advertisements. The unpleasant result of this omission is a total lack of all funds with which to pay the expenses of an election. Only. The candidates of the Government party very properly point out in their addresses to constituents that the granting of such demands would inevitably open the door to the return of personal possessions.

a great deal of uncertainty as to the result of the elections. But in view of the system of espionage in the hands of the Government.000 men. are in a bad ferment. which has been picked from the ranks of perfectly reliable Socialists throughout the whole country. Such sudden changes involve frequently the endurance of many unpleasantnesses and hardships. There is. But how can an individual undertake to prove that the transfer was not a well-advised step. which bear the official stamp. in view of the publicity which everybody’s life now has. and not to vote according to their inmost convictions. In addition to mounted police. From all parts of the country reports are constantly coming in. particularly to people of riper years. and not justified by other alterations elsewhere in the general labor scheme. make it more and more clear that the minds of men. If the nation gives expression to its real wishes. on the other hand. somewhat of this sort of thing prevailed in small electoral districts. It is impossible to resist the conviction that the most trifling cause might. and the system of control that all are subject to. we shall see the return of a majority bent upon a restoration of the old order
.94
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
have something to do with this hanging back. in spite of the great augmentation of the army. which rendered this particular appointment necessary? The daily conferences which we controllers have together. In former times. Of course everybody has the right to protest against a transfer which looks like mere caprice on the part of the Government. has been increased to 30. however. detailing violent collisions between civilians and the troops which were sent out to establish Socialism. This is the reason why Berlin. But our police force. The Government is not even quite sure of the troops. which penetrates into everyone’s most private affairs. every single individual is a spy on his neighbor. hence. both in the towns and in the country. the police force is now further strengthened by the addition of artillery and pioneers. Now. suffice to call forth a violent eruption of popular feeling in favor of a restoration of the old order of things. at any moment. and which are handed in in sealed envelopes. has not received any garrison. The voting takes place by means of voting-papers. in view of these things. many persons seem to mistrust the apparent security and secrecy of the voting-papers.

somehow.The Election Stir 95
of things. I fancy. for my part. I shall most likely end by giving in a blank voting-paper. But if these wishes are kept in check by fear. we shall get a parliament which is a mere tool in the hands of the Government. how I shall vote.
. I do not yet at all know. that through my son’s flight a sharp eye is being kept on me.

.

being able to see the child for a few minutes. and then she was asked again for her name and address. precious. is dead! It seems impossible to actually realize that the pretty. she inquired for Annie. A pause ensued. at least. and her heart brimful of joy. that those young lips which prattled away so sweetly are now for ever dumb. there must be a strange mistake somewhere.Chapter
25
Sad News
NNIE. that those laughing eyes that used to shine so brightly are now closed in the stillness of death. so full of life and joy. My wife had gone in the morning to the Children’s Home in the hope of. to believe that her Annie. Presently the news was broken to her that the child had died during the night. could be dead. little Annie. She hastily followed the
97
A
. is now all at once cold and lifeless. little creature that used to frolic about. She refused to credit such a thing. But the mother’s love for her child soon brought her strength back again. With a smile on her face. is her birthday. our dear. of quinsy. And today. My wife sank down on a chair perfectly stupefied. her child. and that a message to this effect was now on its way to the parents. too.

and it was rarely that he omitted to bring her some trifle when coming home from work. It will not do for grandfather to get to hear it at all. and ask again and again to be told about “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. our dreams. He can never more tell her stories as she sits on his lap. in that still long sleep from which no calling. What avails it to enter into a long account of the suddenness with which this malignant disease had attacked her? It began with a cold which she had probably caught at night. when she should be once grown up? I must break the news tomorrow to Ernst as best I can. an end to these and to so many other things in a few short months. our dear little Annie. and no kissing. It is likely enough. for her welfare. Later on they fetched me. Annie had been the pet of the family.98 Pictures of the Socialistic Future
attendant to the death-room. How will my poor wife be able to stand all this sorrow upon sorrow? The shock had such a serious effect upon her that she had to be taken in a cab straight from the Children’s Home to the hospital. There lay Annie. Or possibly the child had not been properly dried after a bath.
. The little rogue knew this well enough. and no bitter agony of the poor mother will ever awaken her. the only girl. born some time after the lads. In all these great establishments a good part of the work must unavoidably be done in a summary manner. Then again. Franz loved his little sister tenderly. that the different style of living had made the child a little weaker. too. and used to run to meet him on the stairs as soon as there was any sign of his coming. Ah! there had been no mistake. and therefore more susceptible than she had been at home. And now there is an end to all these things.” Franz and Agnes in America have as yet no suspicion of our sorrow. and they won’t get my letter before nine or ten days. At home the child always had a way of kicking off the bed-clothes in her sleep. But yonder there is no mother’s eye to watch tenderly at the bedside of each little one amongst so many hundreds. as she so often used to. But what avails now inquiry or speculation? All that will never bring our Annie back to life again. the prescribed ventilation always causes more or less draught in the bedrooms. How many had been our hopes.

The sorrows of the present moment make one regard all considerations for the future with indifference. would only in very rare instances have the courage to vote. even in the most ordinary affairs of life. all political matters seem so immaterial and idle to one. in a community in which there was no longer any personal or commercial freedom. or for prisoners in jail. Franz has proved to be right in his forecast of the results of the elections. In his last letter he expressed his belief that. even the freest form of government would fail to restore any political independence.Chapter
26
The Result Of The Elections
W
ITH heaviness such as this in the heart. no matter how secret that voting might be. in opposition to the known wishes of those in power. The right of voting. Franz wrote. He considered that those subjects who are so dependent upon the Government. as is now the case with us. could have no more serious significance in our socialistic State of society than such a right has for soldiers in barracks.
99
.

Whatever would have become of my wife and me if. the Government party is in a minority. And as. the vote of our city is on the side of the Party of Freedom. Berlin forms only one electoral division. and sided with the Government. And even this one candidate would scarcely have been returned but for the help of friends belonging to the Party of Freedom. the recent increase of the army has sent some terror into men’s hearts in the disaffected districts. have only succeeded in returning one candidate. according to the system of proportional election now adopted. In addition to this. have obtained nearly one-third of the total number of votes recorded throughout the whole country. and intended to act as warnings. and of the Younkers. The only exception which must be made in this connection was the transfer of a few leaders of the party of freedom. I relinquished my original intention of giving an adverse vote. It seems pretty clear that the nation has no desire to see any additions made to the socialistic edifice now erected. Weighed down by the load of adversity which has befallen us as a family. in spite of the strong support given them by the Woman’s Universal Wedlock League. which transfers were obviously made for political reasons. and. has been obtained without any special efforts on their part. And this triumph. in spite of all the wide-spread discontent there is. that as people in the country are even more under surveillance than is the case in thickly-populated towns. or the Friends of Freedom. has secured two-thirds of the votes recorded. The Party of Freedom. I had been sent away to some far-off little place in the provinces? It seems somewhat odd that in the country. And this result has been obtained in spite of all the efforts made by the Government side
. The only explanation is. moreover. in our present frame of mind. who supported his election because of the vigorous attacks he made on the Government. In Berlin. where the discontent is at its height. as they also style themselves. The Younkers have come off very badly. they are still more reticent in giving expression to opposition views than townspeople are. the Government has scored the best results.100 Pictures of the Socialistic Future
The result of the elections shows that the Government party.

the regulation rendering it possible at any moment to give notice of the dissolution of marriage. The Government party did not care to oppose the election of this lady. follow exactly the same course she had always adopted at home. in Parliament. partly out of courtesy to the Chancellor. and partly in order that her return might serve as an illustration of the equality of women’s rights with those of men.
. This lady is not an adherent of the Government party. indeed. both towards her present husband. these latter have shown a good deal more activity in the elections than the voters of the rougher sex. In her election speeches she has repeatedly assured her hearers that she would. In particular. and one that sought only to undermine the established order of society. They have made no secret of the bitterness they feel at the present state of things. but calls herself an entirely independent member. had the effect of making a large number of deserted wives specially active in the distribution of voting-papers.The Result Of The Elections 101
to brand them as a party of demolition. and plainly speak out her mind whenever the welfare of the nation seemed to require it. and of their chagrin at the restrictions placed upon private and domestic affairs. and in bringing dilatory voters up to the poll. and towards the husbands she has had before. Of lady candidates only one has been returned to Parliament. and. this one being the wife of the new Chancellor. The relative measure of success which this party has obtained is largely owing to the support given by women voters.

.

that such and such an article had just run out of stock. But it is now high time to look into this matter. and see that some improvement is made. only too often. or to put up with the most old-fashioned and antiquated things which had been left on hand ever so long. however.
103
A
. In the case of other articles of daily use you had frequently either to go without. that this was due. Things got so bad that there was often the greatest difficulty experienced in obtaining the most indispensable articles of clothing. and that a fresh supply would not come in for some little time. It now comes out. The only wonder is that this could be kept secret until after the elections. When going to make purchases you were told. All import goods. such as coffee.Chapter
27
A Large Deficit
DEFICIT of a milliard per month! A thousand million marks expenditure over income per month! That was the disagreeable message with which the Chancellor greeted the assembling of the new Parliament. For a long time past there have been signs in all directions that something or other was wrong. but to a decrease in the supply. not to an increase in the demand.

But. farinaceous foods. wines. in no respects can it be said that the people have lived in luxury and riot. or works. Indeed. But notwithstanding this. beans. The strictest economy extends even to the matter of pepper. were so high in price as to be scarcely procurable. What other stocks there are consist of such goods as we formerly sent abroad. but which there is now. about the renewal of machinery and stores. and so on. peas. fat and similar unprofitable matter in the gross weight of the rations. silks. our population.
. and even here in Berlin there is scarcely any building going on. Even the most indispensable repairs are constantly being postponed. On all hands there are complaints that the tastelessness and sameness of the dishes are such as to produce nausea. The vegetable part of the bill of fare has been also much simplified. latterly. gristle. about the building of new mills. All such articles may now be had in the home-markets at less than cost price. no measures are taken to meet the demand. or about the construction of new railways. no longer any sale for. may count upon a rapid increase as a result of the undertaking on the part of the State to bring up all children free of cost. the meat rations have remained nominally the same as at first. velvets. What little conversation there is at meal times tends more and more in the direction of talk about sickness and internal complaints. pianos. So far as appearances seem to indicate. even in those who have the most robust appetites. there have been unpleasant innovations in respect of including bone. All stores for daily consumption seem to have dwindled down to a minimum. embroidered and fancy goods. No longer is there a syllable dropped about alterations and improvements anywhere. and spices. or the enlargement of old ones. salt.104
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
petroleum. etc. especially in socialistic countries. and is now restricted to potatoes. viz. etc. in spite of the considerable emigration which has taken place. These goods are gloves. one-third of a pound per head. The only stocks we have are of such things that there is little or no demand for. At dinner. and lentils. for the mere sake of getting rid of them. On Bebel day the increased meat ration and the free glass of beer which had been looked for were conspicuous by their absence.

A short time. What will this land us in? and where are we to look for help? The next sitting of Parliament is awaited with considerable excitement and interest. than it was in before the great Revolution. it seems that. however. sufficed to show that the value of the nation’s productiveness sank down to one-third of what it had formerly been. immediately anterior to the Revolution. From 18 milliard marks a year it went down to six milliards. the Government cannot really be reproached with having regulated consumption without a due amount of previous forethought. as the Chancellor intends then to go into the reasons of the deficit.
. It simply went on the assumption that this value would remain at least the same. Foreign merchants everywhere have ceased sending any goods to Germany on credit. But even if the Government had proved right. In this way we have a deficit of a milliard per month. and would not diminish through the maximum working-day being fi xed at eight hours.A Large Deficit 105
From month to month the deficit seems to grow greater instead of less. but on a worse one. Even the stocks of raw material and auxiliary material begin to show signs of not being long able to keep the various works fully going. in spite of all attempts to grapple with the difficulty. or from one and a half milliards per month to half a milliard. Unpromising as this state of affairs looks. it is quite evident that the majority of the nation has so far not been placed on a better footing. to say nothing of all the restrictions placed upon personal and commercial liberty. The Government took this as a basis. or otherwise than against an immediate exchange of goods to the same value. and did not even calculate on any possible increase in the value of the nation’s productivity under a new system of things. had been from 17 to 18 milliards of marks annually. from pretty accurate calculations made. The calculation of the amount of consumption per head of the population was based upon this assumption. In four months this amounts to a loss equal to the war contribution which France had to pay to Germany in the great war of past days. the value of the entire productivity of the country. From the statement made at the opening of the new Parliament.

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so that she might be kept from all excitement.Chapter
28
Domestic Affairs
I
FIND myself still quite solitary at home.
107
. and is afraid of never seeing us more. as though I had just been rescued from some alarming danger. and through the events connected with the flight of Franz and Agnes. When I have to leave her there is a renewal of these agitating scenes. and it is long before she can reconcile herself to the idea of my going. still affects her most severely. a thing I have never known since I was a single young man. My poor wife still lingers on at the hospital. She is constantly fancying us exposed to all kinds of dreadful persecutions and perils. After the conversations we have had together. The shock her system sustained through the death of our little daughter. For she no sooner sees me than she throws her arms passionately round my neck. and the doctor lately asked me to make as few visits as I possibly could to her. and the more she suffers them to run in this groove the more anxiety and uncertainty does she feel on our account. her thoughts naturally wander back to me and the other members of the family.

but went on to say that such cases did sometimes occur. although much against his will. even although they knew that in the course of two or three years they would return to their accustomed freedom. that the irksome and lifelong restrictions of personal freedom which have resulted from the new organization of production and consumption. in his younger days. of so far robbing life of
. as he has attended her. These young men found life under such circumstances unendurable. been denounced by a younger colleague. He told me that he had already. who was not able to render a sufficient number of coupons to the State Bookkeeping Department. I asked him whether this one had been a case of unrequited love. The old gentleman who. When I called upon him he had just returned from a youthful suicide. found the unaccustomed restraints of military life utterly unbearable. although they felt perfectly content in all other respects. it was no wonder. He replied in the negative. should have had the effect with many persons. had been an army surgeon. and those by no means of an inferior order. attributed the increase in the number of suicides to other causes. ever since our marriage. to give any more medical advice on that day. to prove that he had been engaged professionally for eight hours each day. on two occasions. when occasion required. the old gentleman enlarged upon the frightful increase in the number of suicides in the socialistic Community. he continued. This young man had laid an information against him for exceeding the hours of labor. precisely as formerly. whom he had in vain endeavored to call back to life. and that such being the case. He told me he was extremely sorry to say that his eight hours maximum working-day had just expired. and he had been heavily fined for overproduction. he was unable. together with the idea of the absolute social equality of all. Hence. He knows her system thoroughly well. Commenting upon the case he had just returned from.108
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
My wish was to consult our former doctor on her case. as it would scarcely do to prohibit women by act of Parliament from rejecting proposals which were not agreeable to them. He told me he had frequently observed that a considerable number of such suicides as took place in the army arose from the simple fact that many young men. and in spite of the friendship between us.

irrespective of what they have learnt. And. that the fact of their tastes lying in this or that particular direction. in which they stayed immediately after their marriage. further. No words could describe how sorry I feel for Ernst at his school.
. or whether they have learnt much or little. Franz has become foreman in a first-class printing concern.Domestic Affairs 109
all its charms. and it seems that the wages in this branch have gone up considerably in America since the competition on the part of Germany has fallen so seriously in arrears. and promises to provide for his future. and he much wants me to send Ernst over to him. It is cheering to reflect that we have good news from Franz and Agnes in America. These young men all know that upon the completion of their twenty-first year. which all their efforts were powerless to alter. that at last they had recourse to suicide as the only way of escape from the restraints of a dreary and monotonous existence. Through being an excellent hand at his trade. This is the only ray of sunshine in my life. more particularly of those which are occupied by young men of from eighteen to twenty-one years of age. in fact. as a general thing. Franz was terribly upset by the news of his little sister’s death. and have managed to get a humble little home together. It is very possible the old gentleman is not altogether in the wrong. they are enabled to buy one thing after another for their cozy home. that almost without exception they run into all sorts of extravagance and excess. and through his honorable character. Thus. precisely the same fate awaits them all. one hears nothing but unfavorable accounts of these schools. by economy. affords not the slightest guarantee of their receiving an appointment in accordance with those tastes. They write that they have already left the boarding-house in New York. and that no efforts or talents will ever avail to enable them to pass beyond that prescribed course. or even in any approximate accordance with them. They know they will find exactly the same course prescribed for them that is prescribed for all alike. The result is. so that lately such severe measures had to be taken for keeping them within bounds as could scarcely be surpassed in reformatories. Agnes works for a large millinery establishment. They know.

I dare not yet venture to whisper a word to Ernst about flight. in her present frame of mind. I should still feel incapable of taking such a decisive step for Ernst’s future.110 Pictures of the Socialistic Future
But in spite of all this.
. and supposing I had any means of recouping Franz for the expense of the journey. Even if I could devise a sure way of getting the young fellow on board a foreign vessel. might be her death. And to talk to her of such a thing. without his mother’s full acquiescence.

It will be remembered that this was prior to the recent general election. with plenty of energy: to my thinking she was perhaps a trifle coquettishly attired for the occasion. and numbering about one-third of the seats. the Chancellor’s wife. or as it was styled. sat in the middle of the front Opposition bench. dashing woman. occupying the entire left side of the House. She is a fine. the newly elected opponents of Socialism sat in their places. the seats of all the members of the various other parties having been declared vacant. and that the House. at one time nodding
111
. Today. The only lady member who has been returned. however. She followed her husband’s speech with marked attention. the Committee of Government. was then composed exclusively of those members of the Socialist party who had sat before the Revolution.Chapter
29
A Stormy Parliamentary Sitting
I
HAVE not been in the House since the debate on the savings bank question. in consideration of the fact that all such members had been returned through the influence of capital.

and of the standing army. on the other hand.
. resulting from the news of the large deficit. the declaring void all State bonds and values on the part of the various socialistic governments of Europe. The Opposition. and the excitement everywhere considerable. A debate on the condition of the national finances was down for the order of the day. Prominent amongst the causes of that retrogression are the opponents of our socialistic system. In addition to this. partly owing to the Socialist order of things which now reigns supreme in many countries. on the Left—“Oh. was very lively in its sallies. the number of women present being especially large. and had red ribbons in her hair—to denote dissent. and in this way greatly tended to lessen our income. The first speaker was The Chancellor—“The fact of a considerable diminution in productive values having taken place in our country. Our export trade has fallen off to an alarming extent. we have seen the expediency of doubling the strength of the navy. a diminution so great that those values are now only one-third of what they were before the great Revolution. we have been under the necessity of increasing the police force more than tenfold. so that these forces might be in a position to render adequate support to the police in their work of maintaining order and preventing emigration. and at another shaking her head—she wore ringlets. In respect of these various causes it can hardly be anticipated that there will be much alteration in the future.” The Member for Hagen. and might also constitute a sufficient bulwark against dangers from abroad. has necessarily affected whatever German capital was invested in those countries. is a fact that it ill becomes us either to be-laugh or to be-weep. The strangers’ galleries were densely packed.112 Pictures of the Socialistic Future
approval. The Government side of the House lay under a very apparent cloud of depression. Furthermore. oh. and I will endeavor to reproduce here the main points of the debate as to the causes of the great deficit.” The Chancellor—“I need scarcely remind the Member for Hagen that in order to establish Socialism in the country. and partly to the aversion which the bourgeois nations show to our manufacturing system. but which we must all endeavor to grasp and to comprehend.

(Hear.
. to those between the ages of twenty-one and sixty-five. undoubtedly.A Stormy Parliamentary Sitting
113
“A fruitful cause. “In the next place. Carefully conducted investigations which we have recently made have fully established the fact that. One result of the demoralizing effects of the former state of society is. (Hear. contributed to a diminution of manufacture. we are strongly of opinion that a plainer and less expensive system of national nourishment than has hitherto been adopted (dissent from the Right) would very materially aid in reducing the deficit. has not even yet penetrated the bulk of the people to such an extent (dissent from the Right). or fat. from the Left). in our view.) We are also further of opinion that the abolition of all piece-work has. make provision for affording facilities to talented young persons for their further culture. in these arrangements. and shall also take care that decrepit persons are engaged in a kind of labor that shall not militate against their state of health. hear.) In addition to this. a bill to extend the maximum working-day to twelve hours. we propose—at least as a provisional measure. however. and the shortening of the hours of labor. to labor. (Uproar. providing the rations of potatoes and vegetables be increased in a proportionate degree. hear. hear. and until such time as a satisfactory balance shall have been restored—to extend the obligation to work to all persons between the ages of fourteen and seventy-five. in a socialistic community. the consciousness of the indispensable necessity that is laid upon all persons alike. instead of. as hitherto. that. unfortunately. but that one-tenth of a pound of meat. of the great falling-off in the nation’s productive power has been the release of young and old persons from the obligation to labor (hear. viz. that we should feel justified in not laying before you the measure we are about to introduce. (Sensation. is abundantly sufficient.) We shall. from the Left.” The Member for Hagen—“In Ploezensee!”1
1
Ploezensee is a house of correction in Berlin. the customary one-third of a pound of meat is by no means a requisite ingredient of the chief meal of the day. from the Left).

to put an end to the irrational rule of supply and demand which even nowadays to a great extent obtains. however. Y. and Mrs. and Mrs. from which we calculate upon effecting economy. and we hope. and which so much tends to place obstacles in the way of production. that we offer them a choice of various goods to one and the same identical end—such as nourishment. and so on. let us say. fail to fulfil the purpose for which they were produced.) The Chancellor—“It is a well-known fact that there are many estimable persons—I allude to those persons who are styled vegetarians—who hold not only that meat may very well be dispensed with altogether. Z.” The Chancellor hesitated a moment. the caprice of fashion is directed only too frequently. Now I put the question to you: are we justified in so far yielding to the caprices of such persons. may live. and all this. or they spoil—in short. forsooth.114
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
The President—“I must request the Member for Hagen to discontinue these interruptions. those goods which are manufactured and exposed for sale by the Community become often so-called shop-veterans. and Mrs. clothes. and attire—in order that Mr. A measure of this nature is a necessary and logical step in the direction of social equality. and dress. As a result of this. or whatever you like. taste. The Community produces. but that it is positively injurious to the human system. just because these goods do not quite take the fancy of Mr. But the demand for these articles is regulated by the merest freak or caprice—call it fashion.” (Applause from the Right. not to those articles which are already in stock. Y. is the placing of narrower bounds to individual caprice as manifested in the purchase of articles. X. but to some newfangled thing which takes the fancy of the moment. and to raise the price of things correspondingly. articles of consumption.” The Chancellor’s lady—“Oh. by its means. furniture. and furnish their house differently from Mr. He then continued— “I repeat. X. and sought by means of a glass of water to calm his evident irritation at this interruption.) “One of the main sources.? Just reflect how vastly all processes of manufacture would
. furnishing. (Uproar from the Right. oh.

) “As an additional aid to the promotion of equality.” The Chancellor’s lady—“Never. By means of each separate dwelling being furnished by the State with these various requisites. and furnish their houses in that manner which had been prescribed by the State. “Hence. Z. tables. definitely understood that Mr. The length of time during which all garments are to be worn will also be fi xed with precision. It will also tend to promote more real social equality if all household goods and chattels. the Government contemplates shortly submitting to your consideration plans for regulating your other meals in a manner similar to that which was adopted from the first for the regulation of the chief meal of the day. or. it will be the province of this House to determine beforehand. never. once for all. no matter how different their situations and advantages. This problem we propose to solve by a universal fresh drawing of lots from quarter to quarter. and attire themselves. had to dine. lady and gentlemen.. X. All losses arising from goods being left on hand as unsaleable. (Laughter from the Left. such as bedding. wardrobes. linen. etc. the chances which everybody has to win a nice suite of apartments on the first-floor front are renewed every quarter of a year. if they were all made on one single pattern. we propose that in future all persons shall attire themselves in garments whose cut. The President—“All marks of approval or disapproval from the strangers’ galleries are strictly prohibited.”
. Y. And only then.” The dissent shown by this member was taken up by various ladies in the strangers’ galleries. In this way. better still. all after one identical pattern. and all remaining as a permanent part of each dwelling. be declared the property of the State. when we shall have advanced thus far. Applause here and there from the Right. all such articles were limited to a few patterns. the trouble and expense of removal are done away with. and Mrs. the principle of equality as respects the question of dwellinghouses. etc. material. at least approximately. and color. chairs.A Stormy Parliamentary Sitting
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be cheapened if. shall we be in a position to approach. would be avoided if it were. in place of having any variety in goods which are destined to fulfill the same purpose.

As you are aware. may readily be distinguished from each other at a glance.116
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
The Chancellor—“I wish not to be misunderstood. to unimagined heights of prosperity and happiness. from the Left). style of dress. (disturbance and cries of “Tyranny” from the Left. and of leading the country.” The Chancellor said he was prepared to answer at once any questions which might be addressed to him. to avail themselves of the present opportunity to direct short queries to the Chancellor. manner of living. on the basis of social equality. the President touched his gong and requested order). But with the aid of the arrangement just proposed. and so on. An arrangement of this kind will materially facilitate the surveillance of individual persons on the part. groans and hisses from the Left. On the contrary. hear.” (Applause from the Right. we suggest the wearing of various badges as marks whereby the ladies and gentlemen of the different provinces. the number of checkers hitherto has been in the ratio of one to fifty of the population. it would be well for such members as may desire fuller information on any of the points noticed. it shakes off and triumphs over the demoralizing effects of a former state of society. towns. proportionate to the degree in which. the Government is of opinion that the appointment of one checker to every thirty of the population will abundantly suffice to make our country an orderly one in the truest sense of the word. and to ensure on the part of all a rigorous observance of the laws and regulations respecting the taking of meals. and trades. A member of the Government party wished the Chancellor to be more explicit respecting the form it was proposed to give to the
. “This is our program. of the checkers appointed by the State for that purpose (hear. and will thus render the present unavoidable increase in the number of those checkers less large than would otherwise have been the case. we doubt not that a vigorous carrying out of the same will soon have the effect of doing away with the deficit.) The President—“Before proceeding to discuss the measures which have been unfolded by the Chancellor. Should it meet with your approval. in the course of time. We do not contemplate carrying equality in dress to such a length that all diversities will be entirely abolished.

each person will receive one hundred and fifty grains of unroasted coffee. Lassalle. and Liebknecht—each adult person will receive half a pound of meat. The Chancellor—“I am thankful to the last speaker for having called my attention to several omissions in my statement. frequently results in unpleasant internal disorders. (Laughter from the Left. With a view to preventing all overloading of the digestive organs. On the three chief political holidays of the year—the birthdays of Bebel. In addition to this bread ration. half a pint of skimmed milk will occasionally be substituted for the soup ration. indeed. care being taken to secure due variety. This will yield one pint of coffee. bread soup. The Government is fully convinced that a conscientious adherence to these proportions will result in the production of a compound which will be free from those heating and deleterious effects which frequently accompany the use of coffee as a beverage. and a quarter of a pint of skimmed milk for breakfast. “I omitted to mention. meal soup. and a pint of beer for dinner. and he further asked whether the measures contemplated would have any retrogressive effect upon the value of the coupons composing the money-certificates. as a matter of course. The large amount of starch which is a constituent part of wheat is particularly liable to fermentation. Those persons who prefer to consume their herring at the evening meal are at liberty to do so. and.A Stormy Parliamentary Sitting
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morning and evening meals. barley soup. too. we propose to reduce the bread rations for adults from one pound and a half per diem to one pound. which. and which. that once a week there will be an augmentation of each adult person’s ration by the addition of a herring. Rice soup. this plan has much to commend it. In attempting to formulate the nourishment of the people
. as experience has shown. and potato soup will alternate with each other. seeing that the mid-day meal is already enriched by one-tenth of a pound of meat. so that these soups may not pall upon the taste. serves for the whole day. “Such are the proposals which we submit to Parliament for its sanction.) “The evening meal will be composed of a pint and a half of soup for each adult. and in order to obtain still more variety.

in short. the Government turned its attention to a consideration of the amount it would be judicious and prudent to fi x for each person’s private expenses. is familiarly designated pocket-money. the choicer kinds of fish. and so forth. and seeing that people will have everything found for them. hams. which would presumably ensue upon the lengthening of the working-day to twelve hours. all washing—naturally up to a certain maximum limit—will be done at the State washing establishments without any direct charge being made. it goes without saying that an extended application of the plan of supplying the people with goods must of necessity have an effect on the value of the coupons corresponding to such application. (Laughter from the Left. and it appeared to us that for such sundry outlays as would be involved in the purchase of an occasional little extra in the way of eating and drinking. in amusements or occasional trips. “Under these circumstances. highly esteemed vegetables. By this means we calculate upon paying the bill for such imports as we require for the sustenance of the people. more particularly corn and coffee. such as game and poultry.
. soap. He also asked for an expression of the Government’s views on the question of an increase of the population. It is also contemplated in future to supply every dwelling with firing and lighting at a fi xed rate. Similarly. in procuring all that the heart could wish. for what.118 Pictures of the Socialistic Future
on simple and natural principles. we have been guided by the consideration that such a system would place us in a position to export all our most valuable products. or to any sort of official control. “As regards the money-certificates. which will be deducted from the money-certificates. of tobacco.” A member of the Party of Freedom wished to know the intentions of the Government in regard to the greater dilatoriness and lassitude in the performance of labor. It will thus be apparent that we are far from desiring to unduly restrict individual freedom when moving in legitimate spheres. we should not be wrong in going to the extent of a mark per head for every ten days. in fact. wine.) It must be understood that the application of this mark is not to be subject to the slightest limitation.

Hence. Bebel said. and it proposes to effect this elaboration through a variety of means.” (Loud applause from the Right. we reckon upon largely using the system employed for nourishing the people as an instrument for regulating population. I call upon the Member for Hagen. even in those who constitutionally rebel against the doctrine. The end which the Government seeks by these means to attain is to develop the recognition of the necessity of labor. The Chancellor—“Let me not be misunderstood as regards the lash.”
. that Socialism is a science which is applied with unwavering purpose and inflexible steadfastness of aim to every sphere of human activity. arrest. and the lash for repeated offenses. and shall begin with the Left. the Right and the Left. we hold firmly to Bebel’s principle in the main. we can at once proceed to discuss the matters before the House.) The President threatened to have the galleries cleared forthwith if his warnings were again disregarded.) But even here it will be necessary to draw the line somewhere. I shall follow the plan of nominating alternately speakers from the two great parties. the Government recognizes the fact that the extension of the hours of labor to twelve hours renders a further elaboration of the system of penalties imperatively necessary. Herein we shall be following a hint we are grateful to Bebel for. (Applause from the Right. with no less beauty than truth. “As respects an increase of the population.A Stormy Parliamentary Sitting
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The Chancellor—“As regards offenses against the obligation to work. as we shall have an opportunity of more clearly showing when the debate on the budget comes on. Amongst others. I mention the removal of the bed for slighter transgressions. incarceration in the dark cell. We should not be disposed to recommend the application of more than thirty strokes. that the State must regard the advent of every child as a welcome addition to the cause of Socialism.) The President—“As no member seems desirous of asking any more questions of the Chancellor. and we can never again allow an unreasonable increase of population to upset the delicately-adjusted equilibrium which will be established by the passage of the proposed measures.” (Hisses from the strangers’ galleries.

(Great uproar from the Right. the Falsities man. so that they could now with unclouded vision see the connection that all matters of national and international economy have with each other. It is. But before the Revolution took
2
“Falsities of Socialism. loud applause from the Left. (Cries from the Right: “Aha.) The Chancellor is entirely on the wrong track when he endeavors to make the opponents of Socialism in any way responsible for the deficit. the Slayer of Socialists. large and small. Eugene Richter. This annual deficit of twelve milliard marks which we are now face to face with.” by Eugene Richter. you will have to reckon with an additional host of servants appointed to see that the State’s bidding be duly carried out. and still more those which we may expect from the various measures in prospect.2 It is only to be regretted that these gentlemen did not suffer themselves to be converted from their errors. (Great uproar from the Right.) Experience shows that the miserable realities even transcend what my departed predecessor predicted would be the condition of things if the socialistic program were ever actually realized.”) I notice that the gentlemen of the Right have never been quite able to get over the ‘Falsities of Socialism.
. But even this is far from adequately accounting for a deficit amounting to so many milliards. 1890.120
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
The Member for Hagen—“I feel little desire to closely interrogate the Chancellor upon the details of his program. but too true that our export trade is in a wretched plight. at home. unfortunately.’ by the departed member. Berlin. means the bankruptcy of the social democracy. are quite enough to fill the soul with loathing and disgust at the condition of affairs which Socialism has brought about in Germany. But when all the affairs of life. without exception. The Chancellor considers that a part of the blame attaches to the shortening of the hours of labor. The fruits of the socialistic order (so-called) of things which we have hitherto seen. shall be subject to the management of the State. but this is attributable solely to the utter turning topsy-turvy of production and consumption which has taken place both here. “Germany already bristles with soldiers and with police in a way that has never been the case before. and in the neighboring socialistic countries.

may turn out to be but a mere waste of force and of material. there has been a disappearance of those careful circumspect leaders in the field of labor who took care that a judicious use was made of all materials. oh. As in feudal times. even the heads of Government establishments received from the competition of private firms. and that even painstaking labor. applause from the Left and from the galleries. in bygone days. the absence of all prospect of bettering one’s condition. the equality of the working hours for all. The system of giving the same remuneration for labors of the most diverse values. This vast deficit teaches us plainly enough that the man of private enterprise was no plunderer. Your managers of today lack all real and deep interest in their work. the forcing of persons to certain
. when not conducted in an intelligent manner. you place such restrictions on the freedom of the person. Then again. (Great uproar from the Right.A Stormy Parliamentary Sitting
121
place. from the Right) which has become so general. and in the course of time this working-day would. and who more or less regulated supply according to demand. and without doing any sudden violence to supply. in short. not so much in a shortening of the working-day as in the inferior quality of our goods now. they lack the stimulus which. have become gradually shorter in an easy and natural way. the hours of labor were on an average less than ten hours. operates to retard production. “Another reason why manufacture is no longer productive is that with the cessation of all private enterprise. labor is now again regarded as a kind of villanage. The President threatened to have the galleries cleared at once if there were any more manifestations of feeling. and of commerce. and no superfluous drone. We must seek the cause of the retrogression in all our manufactures. your system of working everywhere on a big scale.) The compelling of all alike to work. in the style of loafing about (oh. these are elements which are inimical to real love of work for its own sake. a slavish toil. no matter how great one’s industry and skill. that you turn Germany into one gigantic prison. in the smooth progress of events. “What have we come to? In endeavoring to get rid of the disadvantages of the socialistic method of manufacture. even in cases to which this system does not in the least adapt itself.

too. Nothing of the sort. not a twelve hours one. at least. was no longer resorted to in many prisons. the possibility of an act of pardon. we have now the same uniform clothes proposed. even to those who had been condemned to life-long imprisonment.122
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
kinds of labor utterly regardless of their wishes and tastes. And if it were not for the fear of Socialism dying out. But those who are handed over to your socialistic prison are sentenced for life without hope of escape. just as prisoners have their cells apportioned to them. (Sensation. that we are at present in a state of transition.’ as the Chancellor enlightened us as to his bill of fare. the more industrious and skilful inmates had the opportunity given them of earning a trifle in the way of something extra. The similarity to prison life is further maintained through the system of each person’s having to occupy a certain dwelling. as is done in the lock-up. I was justified in calling out ‘Ploezensee. which you have to introduce as an aid in establishing the twelve hours working-day. because it was felt it could be dispensed with. the only escape thence is suicide. Families are torn asunder. Overseers are already provided in the persons of the numerous checkers. In order that nothing may be wanting to complete the resemblance to jail.) “Your explanation of all this is. and every member of this socialistic Community is tied down to the same prescribed nourishment. In our prisons the working-day was a ten hours one. these are things which we had hitherto had no experience of outside the walls of penitentiaries. are posted to see that those who are condemned to Socialism shall not escape across the frontiers. Punishment by the lash. I will almost venture to say that the food dispensed in former times to the inmates of the prison was better than that which it is now proposed to feed the nation on. Hitherto you have only descended
. The fi xtures which are to form an inseparable portion of each dwelling still further enhance the resemblance to jail life. And even in those institutions. you would altogether separate husband and wife. which might some day open a path to liberty. sentinels. Things will get worse and worse the longer the present system lasts. “And as it is in respect of labor so is it in regard to rest. To those in jail there was.

Self-interest used to sharpen the wits of individuals. will be able
. “All the proposals of the Chancellor will prove as powerless in making good the vast deficit. that you cannot even properly maintain such possessions as we have. from putting by anything. “All higher development of the faculties. On the contrary. or means of instruction. and skill. So far are you.A Stormy Parliamentary Sitting
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the topmost steps of those which lead to the abyss. however. There are now no means to keep all these things intact. in spite of the Chancellor’s program. But the emulation of the many who strove in the same field of labor. and from providing for improvements and additions. as our attempted organization. But in our socialistic schools of today. consider rather how you may best promote a diminution of population. Hence I counsel you not to be too greatly elated at the advent of children as being welcome additions to Socialism. is at a stand-still since the abolition of free competition. you will find yourselves face to face with a new and a greater deficit. which induced capitalists to engage in enterprises. of production and consumption in our prisons proved powerless to cover even a third part of the current expenses of those places. but suffer them to fall into decay. some years ago. are all due to former systems of society. In a very short time. not from any lack of time. advanced. but you turn away from it. constantly-operated to make common property of the achievements of individuals. Whatever culture is now extant. both elementary. and bring out their inventiveness. For it is quite certain that. our young people make no progress at all. Germany. “You live upon the capital of culture and of wealth which descended to you as the result of former arrangements of society. but merely because no one feels that he is absolutely bound to acquire certain things as stepping stones to future success in life. on the basis of the present order of things. even with the beggarly style of nourishment which the Chancellor is compelled to place in prospect for us. because in destroying the hope of profit. no less than all material progress. and practice. which in its turn would again have led to new undertakings. The light of day still reaches you on those upper steps. whatever schooling. and technical. you simultaneously prevented all further formation of capital.

I take it. of course. and prove a favorable colonizing ground to which to draft off the surplus Socialist population of Europe. which can only be supported by such forms and systems as you have uprooted.’” (Loud applause from the Left and from the galleries. and whose citizens have never seriously entertained the falsities of Socialism. (Laughter from the Left. namely. a power that is settled on the firm basis of personal property and free competition. and on that side. The inexorable law of self-preservation will hence compel the Socialists on this side. Many milliards in value have already been destroyed by the Revolution.124
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
permanently to support but a very thin and sparse population. ever mightier and wealthier. Hissing and uproar from the Right. ‘Down with the socialistic jail regime! Long live Liberty. that in the course of time the desert of Sahara would. and it would again require the sacrifice of milliards to restore something like order to the present disorganized condition of affairs. be turned into fruitful districts. takes us nearer and nearer to the abyss. are fast hastening to ruin and destruction. by means of irrigation. “So far as I am aware. that there is as yet no great liking on the part of those of your side in politics who are superfluous here. there arises on the other side of the ocean. shall have succumbed. which will last until that superfluity of population.) “Whether or not it is possible to make a halt in the path of progress to destruction. too. That suggestion was the settling in the north of Norway. to the neighboring Socialist countries. which we have entered upon. and gave instructions to clear the
. I should scarcely care to venture to say. the hope that Bebel once expressed is not yet any nearer its accomplishment—the hope.) The President called the last speaker to order for the concluding remarks contained in his speech. “Every day that we delay the extrication of our country from the wretched maze into which an aberration of mind has led it. to engage in a deadly struggle. thanks to your efforts. to follow the other proposition which Bebel was once good enough to suggest as an outlet for surplus population. The same applies. “Whilst we in old Europe. and in Siberia. Hence I say.

by reason of the repeated manifestations of opinion by the occupants. there can hardly be any doubt as to the passing of the various measures proposed by the Chancellor.A Stormy Parliamentary Sitting
125
galleries immediately. Not even the indignation of the Chancellor’s lady at the proposed Regulation of Dress Bill will have any effect in altering it. As I had to go with the others. The clearance of the galleries occasioned no small amount of trouble. But as the Government has a slavish majority at its back. can say no more as to the further progress of the sitting. I.
. unfortunately.

.

This. they would get. at least. as they maintain. And shall they now put up with it.Chapter
30
Threatened Strike
T
HE Chancellor’s new proposals for getting rid of the great deficit have been received on all sides in Berlin with mockery and derision. It certainly cannot be denied that before the great Revolution they had over and over again been promised the full reward of their labors. To what lengths this dissatisfaction may yet go there is no foretelling. that they only receive the same wages as all the others? They say that if they were to receive the full value of the machines and tools which are turned out of their shops. and more particularly amongst engineers. These men claim to have had a large share in bringing about the Revolution.
127
. For a long time past there has been a great spirit of discontent amongst the artificers in metals. had expressly and repeatedly appeared in black and white in the columns of the Onward. and they complain that they are now shamefully cheated out of what Socialism had always promised them. four times as much as they do now. after deducting the cost of raw material and auxiliary material.

it was assuredly only just that the Community should appropriate whatever remained after paying a certain wage calculated at one uniform rate for all persons in the country. Seeing then that the Community finds all these buildings. to debate upon the question of a resort to force should their demands not be conceded. or the Community. says this organ. somehow. There is talk of the threatened strike embracing 40. plans. is now to take those profits which formerly were paid to shareholders for the loan of their capital. They say that if the State. In a no less degree were large buildings and considerable means indispensable. it was quite clear that the things turned out were not the result purely and simply of hand labor. The prospect of the lengthening of the working-day to twelve hours has made these workmen in the different metal trades more bitter than ever. In short. it comes to much the same thing to them in the long run. Whatever these mechanics might turn out of their shops and mills. But these mechanics. never contemplated giving to each laborer in his special field the full reward of his work in that particular sphere of labor. cannot be brought to view the thing in this light. and means.000 men. Expensive machines and tools were equally necessary to their production. the working-day being limited to ten hours at the very outside. these men demand the full reward of their labor as they understand the term. or twelve hours looking after children. or whatever you like to call it. who are engaged in Berlin in the different metal branches. Twelve hours a day at a roaring fire. the great Revolution might just as well never have taken place at all. Socialism. Several large meetings of the men have already taken place at night on Jungfern Common and Wuhl Common.
. If this was to be the end of the affair. All these accessories had not been produced by the workmen actually engaged at the time being. is a different thing from twelve hours behind a counter waiting for customers. It promised the nation as a whole the full reward of the labors effected by the whole people. and at work on hard metals.128
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
It is in vain that the Onward has endeavored to point out to them that their interpretation is an entirely false one.

The opportunity of Austria’s being thus engaged on another side appears a favorable one to Russia and France for their adopting a high tone towards Germany. in Istria and the Italian Tyrol. and before the State had taken the regulation of consumption into
129
. Accordingly. Hence they try to appease the ill-humors of their populations by directing attention to foreign affairs. requesting that within ten days.Chapter
31
Menacing Diplomatic Notes
T
HE socialistic Governments of Russia and France are quite as much at their wits’ ends as we are to know how to overcome the difficulties that are constantly arising. we have drawn nothing whatever from France except a few million bottles of champagne which were emptied in the first intoxication of delight at the success of the great Revolution. Austria sees herself threatened at the present moment by Italy. Now. both powers have addressed simultaneous notes to our Foreign Office. how is it that France comes to be in the position of a creditor of ours? As a matter of fact. One of the first acts of the socialistic governments had been to dissolve the Triple Alliance. payment be made of the amount due for goods supplied.

etc. there is a scarcity of this material which would most seriously hamper the transport of troops by rail. has had the perfidy to cede a part of her claims on us to France. we are rather bothered by the lack of a convenient means of exchange. and of Alsace and Lorraine as pledges. of muskets. provided Germany were disposed to yield up possession of these provinces. on the pretence of their not being at all up to the mark. But the unfortunate part of the business is that those manufactures which we had been in the habit of sending to France and Russia. Is not that a piece of unparalleled impudence? There is no lack of well-drilled men. Meantime. and shot in Germany. in the way of exchange for imports. powder. But in other respects we are not so well prepared. so to say. and no stock of noble metals to fall back upon. Russia. this Duchy had been. however. of the price being too high. But having now no bonds. and of the dwindling away of the stocks. and similar stores. At the dissolution of the Custom’s Union. from that country have only been the same as they were in former times. oats. hemp. although our imports of corn. Both powers expressed their readiness to waive their claims for payment. and it seems that in consequence of the diminution in the out-put of coal. of which there was then no scarcity in Germany.. The former regime took good care to provide an abundance of these materials. have of late nearly all been returned to us. Our good neighbors are only too well aware of this. Our indebtedness to Russia has now run up to over a milliard. we should simply have paid the Russians in Russian bonds or their coupons. and so forth. flour. One party in the Duchy took advantage of the ill-humor at the severance of the old commercial relations with Germany to call
. flax. they will be compelled to take possession of parts of Posen and Eastern Prussia. Great complaints are also made by the military authorities as to the scarcity of meat. wood. cut quite adrift. Hence they take no great pains in their diplomatic notes to conceal the threat. If such a thing had happened to us in former times. These are imports which we absolutely cannot do without.130
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
its own hands. that in case the claims are not promptly settled. in order to construct a common basis of operations against us. France has annexed Luxemburg.

Menacing Diplomatic Notes
131
in the French. and they soon reached the territory by way of Longwy. The latter lost no time in responding to the call.
. It is said that French cavalry has already been seen on the Germano-Luxemburg frontier close to Treves.

.

these persons in ordinary times derive their supplies. The Government met the strike with a prompt order to at once stop the dinners and suppers of all those on strike. and all shops whence. in accordance with the Government regulations. The various shops and places in question are closely watched by strong detachments of police.
A
133
. The same suspension of the coupons applies to all restaurants. By these means it is hoped that those on strike will. in a very short time. upon the refusal of their demands to receive the full reward of their labor.Chapter
32
Great Strike And Simultaneous Outbreak Of War
LL the iron-workers in Berlin and the neighborhood came out on strike this morning. inasmuch as the few crumbs and parings which their wives and friends will be able to give them from their rations will be of very little avail. be starved into submission. In all the State cookshops the officials have the strictest instructions not to honour the coupons of the iron-workers.

and interrupted the traffic on the Treves and Diedenhofen. Connans. boots. of me
. so I shall then not have much time for writing. at least to some extent. and to do away with the meat rations altogether. As far as possible. seeing that the regular supply did not keep pace with the demand. For. The twelve hours day comes into force tomorrow. with a view to seizing territory as security for their claims. The tactics appear to be. the reserves hasten to the frontier. In consequence of the great falling off in manufacture in many branches. The same may be said of Koenigsberg. so that upon its subjugation the eastern line of attack upon Germany may be much shortened on the one hand. passed the Moselle. I propose. May it long remind them. and Graudenz. against which points Russian columns are now on the march. From the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg. French cavalry has advanced across the German frontier. provision the frontier fortresses. Thorn. and other articles intended for the army. Nancy. But it has unfortunately transpired that there is a great lack of even necessary articles of clothing for many of the reserves. and on the South at the same moment. and making a demonstration in the direction of Morchingen. large quantities of underclothing. I find I shall henceforth be no longer able to give the same full account of events as they happen. to attack Eastern Prussia on the East. and Treves and Saarlouis lines. Both of these fortresses are stated to have but one week’s provisions at the outside. in the meantime. to finish off this narrative as soon as possible. and to send it to Franz and Agnes in the New World. An order has just been issued to reduce the bread rations of the entire population by one half. after the Revolution. whilst on the other hand the supplies of horses for the German army from Eastern Prussia will be cut off. had to be diverted to the civilians.134
Pictures of the Socialistic Future
There is more bad news to follow. Other divisions of the French army. therefore. But enough of this. and Lunéville as their bases of action. and children’s children. have crossed the Lorraine frontier with the intention of besieging Metz and Diedenhofen. with Longyon. It is hoped by these measures to effect such a saving as will enable the Government to. Pont-à-Mousson. the threatened distraints in Germany have actually begun to take place. and their children.

. and. and my papers confiscated at any moment.Great Strike And Simultaneous Outbreak Of War
135
and of the present stormy times. I must get it off with all possible speed. indeed. I notice that I am regarded with such increasing suspicion that a search might be made. or it may be too late.

.

the men on strike set about climbing over the high wall which surrounds the magazine. The men next took to the railway embankment. But as soon as any of them reached the top of the wall.
137
. and between the river and the railway embankment. Paying a visit to my father-in-law. which commands a view of the grounds round the magazine. I discovered on the way home that a number of these men were about attempting to storm the bread magazine. The bread magazine is just opposite Bellevue Castle. They commenced tearing up the rails. and had thus to pay for their temerity with their lives. and cutting the telegraph wires. on the other side of the Spree. into which Bellevue Castle has been turned. they were picked off by the sentinels stationed inside. but the musketry-fire from the magazine in a short time killed and wounded so many that the besieging force was soon dislodged from this position.Chapter
33
The Counter-Revolution Begins
T
HE iron-workers on strike have no intention of being starved out. Finding all the entrances well secured. Grandfather is located at the Refuge for Elderly People.

though small in point of number. that numerous rifles and stores of ammunition have fallen into their hands. The streets in all directions were full of people in the wildest state of excitement. No outrages have so far been committed in the south-west portion of Berlin. but from what they say here it seems that the ironworkers have been more successful in their attacks on the bread stores in Temple Yard and in Kopenick Street than was the case with the Bellevue magazine. after all. and quite unperceived. It is very difficult to get hold of any really reliable news. the mob dispersed in all directions. None but fanatical Socialists may serve. whilst the modern form
. I entered the Zoological Gardens with the intention of making for the south-west side of the city by a circuitous route. however. effect if the two million inhabitants really rise in a general revolt? The smokeless powder of nowadays greatly facilitates the taking of a true aim from an ambuscade. too. But it soon became clear that the besieged. But they are dispersed all over the city. Uttering wild cries of vengeance. and from this position opened a murderous fire upon the mass of mostly unarmed persons on Heligoland quay. were possessed both of better weapons and more ammunition. The police force has of late been fi xed at 30. They say. and leaving great numbers of killed and wounded behind them. police reinforcements had been promptly brought up through the grounds of Bellevue Castle. behind the embankment.000 men. These reinforcements took possession of the footbridge. It is said that artillery has been sent for to cannonade Luneburg Street from the other side of the Spree. and these are chosen from all parts of the country. and what can they. Leaving this scene of carnage. In the meantime. and from the magazine on the other. but from all accounts the riot on the right side of the Spree seems to be getting rapidly general. a rattling fire soon began from the top windows on the one hand.138
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Their next move was to make for the houses in Luneburg Street. which is almost concealed by the railway-bridge. The force is also supported by strong detachments of artillery and cavalry. Presently fresh detachments of the rioters attempted from Heligoland quay to make a breach in the walls surrounding the magazine. Having established themselves in the top storeys of those houses.

What will be the end of it all? And poor old grandfather? I found him very dull and apathetic. Detachments of police. his faculties show a very marked decay. A cheerless old age indeed!
. In the entire absence of a family circle and of surroundings to call forth his interest. some on foot and some mounted. He even mixed up the persons and generations of his own family. He told me the same things several times over. are continually hurrying with all possible speed towards the center of the city. and repeatedly put the same questions to me which I had just before answered. From all appearance the whole of the armed force available is being drawn together in the neighborhood of the palace and unter den Linden.The Counter-Revolution Begins 139
of rifle is singularly calculated to prove serviceable to those indoors when used under cover of the houses.

.

She fancies herself constantly exposed to the persecutions of all kinds of demons. is worse than death’s separation. On all sides the storm of revolt increases in fury. kindly eyes not even recognizing me. with my load of grief and sorrow? There has been some fighting in Eastern Prussia. and she is to be taken there today.Chapter
34
Disheartening News
T
ODAY has been the saddest day of all my life. The doctor said he must convey the sad intelligence to me that the death of her child and the severe shocks of the last few months had so deeply affected her mind as to leave now no prospect of recovery. and also in Alsace and
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. all dazed and bewildered. and have lived together in the closest affinity. But what are all such things to me now. the dear. On going to see my wife I found that she talked incoherently and wildly. For five and twenty long years we have shared all our joys and sorrows with each other. and did not recognize me. And now to behold the partner of my life. both of heart and mind. It has been held advisable to send her to the Asylum for Incurables.

I feel myself impelled to him. and many other parts of the city and suburbs are quite in the hands of the rioters. and when. Suspected of no longer being sound in politics. the more I feel inclined to anathematize myself for having.142
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Lorraine. aided in bringing about such a state of affairs as we have experienced during the last few months. for so many years.
. It is hence evident that the Revolution was not long in spreading beyond the limits of the iron-workers and their particular demands. be the consequences what they may. But how can my boys ever forgive me for having helped to bring about those events which have deprived them of their mother and their sister. I believed so then. and insufficiently nourished. and utterly destroyed our happiness as a family? But now I must speak to Ernst. The entire region on the right bank of the Spree. in spite of all their bravery. they were unable. And the more I reflect. so that I may warn him against going out at all just now. and our side has everywhere had the worst of it. The latter are reinforced by an uninterrupted stream of people from the provinces. In Berlin. Young lads like he is are only too apt to go forth and to mingle in the sin and excitement of a time like this. after wearisome forced marches. I have leisure enough now to visit Ernst even in the day-time. but I now see that I did not comprehend the whole question. and it is also said that portions of the army fraternize with the people. to make a permanent stand. the riot continues to spread. I have been deprived of my place as a checker. I only hope my work there will not turn out to be of a horrible nature. It aims now at the abolition of Socialism. they came face to face with the enemy. My only motive was the sincere belief that Socialism would cause a better order of things for future generations. They were badly clothed. Our troops had to contend with many disadvantages. and told off as a night-scavenger.

Chapter
35
The Last Chapter
T
O Mr. took him for a government messenger. a shot fired from an upper window struck him.—Be a man. All this was of course quite unknown to father. he has fallen a sacrifice to the great rising which has raged for the last few days in Berlin. Our dear father is no longer amongst the living. Franz Schmidt. Close to our school there had shortly before been a fight between the police and the rioters. New York. Like many other innocent victims. on seeing him. MY DEAR FRANZ. and warning me to on no account mix myself up with the commotion in the streets. anyhow. A party of the rioters lay in concealment. and some of the police had taken refuge in our school. Father had left home with the intention of calling upon me. and he expired in the course of a few minutes. and in all probability one of these. and prepare yourself to bear with fortitude the sad news this letter conveys. You may fancy my
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.

but recent events had entirely cured him of his errors. Franz. With best love to you both. He fell a victim to the solicitude he felt for the welfare of his family. as my only human refuge. I shall be able to make use of the money you sent me. When once there. I hope. and got into such a muddle. Your lonely brother. Ernst
. father wrote you lately himself. How all these things have come about. he had allied himself with the Socialists. In all my wretchedness and loneliness. and I found it was my own father. Towards Holland they say the frontier is pretty open. Th ings here are in a frightful condition. By the time I post this letter I shall. Respecting the sad state of our dear mother. In the hope of seeing a better future for those dear to him. have already crossed the German frontier. and which I will bring with me. you will best gather from the diary which father kept down to the very day before his death. and also mentioned about poor old grandfather. my thoughts are continually turning to you.144 Pictures of the Socialistic Future
horror when they brought him into our house. Sanguinary defeats on the fields of battle towards the frontiers. across the ocean. and in the country nothing but anarchy and threatened dissolution.

that am neither a good epilogue. as presenting the
I
145
. Eugene Richter. And his little book may be read. What a case am I in then. pictures to himself a somewhat different state of things as the result of the establishment of Socialism. for the world’s benefit. that Socialism is realized. Perhaps by the time. and good plays prove the better for the help of good epilogues. as a slight contribution to the literature of this subject.” Amongst the various writers who of recent years have painted. perhaps not quite without advantage. Yet to good wine they do use good bushes. Let us hope such will be the case. in the twentieth century. Meanwhile the talented and clear-sighted Member of Parliament for Hagen. nor cannot insinuate with you in behalf of a good play.Postscript
“
F it be true that ‘good wine needs no bush.’ it is true that a good play needs no epilogue. pictures of the state of society which they conceive would result from a widely extended Socialism. human nature will have undergone such an extraordinary and phenomenal transformation that the views of above-named sanguine gentlemen will prove to have been justified. Bellamy and Morris take prominent rank.

It need hence occasion no surprise that this nation. into an atmosphere of lightness and laughter. read this little book with avidity in editions of hundreds of thousands. So far as English readers are concerned. and to escape. it is to be regretted that Richter did not see fit to arrange his matter in a less dry and ponderous way. nevertheless. with that stolidity conventionally ascribed to it by the English. The Translator
.146
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consummation in a different light. The English are firmly persuaded that the Germans quite lack all sense of humor. and as an expression of what some will doubtless regard as eccentric and extreme views. In treating a prosy subject of this kind. the mind has a natural craving to get away now and then from the dry detail of statistics and political economy. and to introduce an element of fun and ridicule into his treatment of the subject. if only for occasional moments. have.